


The Offer

by mogirl97



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Felicity as a vigilante, Mild Smut, Murder Mystery, POV Felicity Smoak, POV Oliver Queen, Season 1 AU sort of, Slow Burn, the violence isn't THAT graphic but I tagged it as such just to be safe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-18
Updated: 2016-12-16
Packaged: 2018-05-07 10:27:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 89,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5453327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mogirl97/pseuds/mogirl97
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The evidence was stacked against her. The murder of her boyfriend was a crime that she didn’t commit, but the judge and jury didn’t see it that way. Felicity was preparing herself for the guilty verdict and a life in prison. Except that the night before her final trial, a masked stranger offers her another option. The opportunity to disappear, live a life in the shadows. A chance to get justice for others, justice that wasn’t awarded to her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I'm really excited to be able to start sharing this fic with you guys and I'm so glad you clicked on the first chapter and decided to check it out! This is quite a different story from Sportsmanlike Conduct, but I’ve been enjoying the challenge of something new and I hope you’ll come along for the ride with me :)

Felicity shifted on the hard bed, curling herself into a tighter ball, as cold air blew in from one of the vents. Sleeping was pointless, her brain was spinning a mile a minute. How could anyone be expected to sleep when the trial that, short of a miracle, would put them in this cell for life, was in less than 12 hours? Yeah, sleeping wasn’t in the cards tonight. Each time she went over in her head the events that had put her in this scenario, she was more confused than ever.

She needed a distraction or this night would drag on endlessly. But distractions weren’t exactly abundant in a drab, decrepit Iron Heights cell.

She could only imagine what her mother thought of all this.

Probably assumed she had turned out just like her father, despite all her attempts to run away from her past. She was like him in so many ways, would it be that much of a stretch to believe that she was every bit as cold-blooded as him?

The jury didn’t seem to have that much of a problem believing it.

A bitter laugh escaped as she contemplated what her father would make of this whole situation, followed immediately by tears. Tears that had been threatening to spill over ever since that night….

That night that haunted her nightmares.

How she had managed to keep the waterworks at bay this long was a mystery, but now the dam had broken.  

Wiping her face with the sleeve of her drab prison jumpsuit, she sat up and leaned against the wall, curling her knees up to her chest. Her head dropped to rest on her knees as she choked on her sobs. It was like reality had suddenly caught up to her, and the realization that there was no escape truly dawned on her.

Tomorrow her fate would be sealed.

It was silly, but her brain jumped around to the most trivial assortment of things. Would she be allowed to keep up with her tv shows in prison? Was mint chocolate chip ice cream on the meal plan? How long would it take without access to bleach for her roots to completely grow out and leave her with her natural brunette shade?

Running her fingers over a lock of her hair, she sighed. Her hair should be the least of her concerns. She was small and weak, and most definitely not cut out for prison. If a fight broke out, she was toast.

After a few minutes, her breathing started to even out as the tears slowed and exhaustion began to settle over her. Maybe she would get some sleep tonight after all.

Lying back down, she stared up at the ceiling and traced a long crack with her eyes over and over again as they slowly became heavier. Just as she was about to slip into sleep, a soft thud re-awakened her senses and her body tensed up.

It was dark in her cell, a little sliver of moonlight only illuminated one corner. A sudden feeling that she was no longer alone had her sitting up to squint into the shadows. No one was there.

Relaxing, she began to settle herself back into her sleeping position when her heart leapt into her throat.

Stepping in front of her, the moonlight reflecting off the emerald green leather that covered his entire frame, was the vigilante.

She knew about him, about his Robin Hood-esque quest for justice. You couldn’t live in Starling City and not have heard tales of him on the news, whispered among co-workers, published in the paper. Some regaled him as a hero and some feared him, declaring him a terror to the city.

Up until this moment, she hadn’t decided whether or not she was afraid of him. Up until this moment, when he stood in front of her stoically, she had no reason to fear him. She had to admit that goosebumps formed on her skin and her heart raced a bit at his looming presence that filled the small room even though he hadn’t said a word.

Unsure of why he was here, she stared at him unblinking. Waiting silently for him to make the first move.

Intrigue dominated over fear as the primary emotion she was feeling.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he spoke.

“Felicity Smoak---“

“I know, I know. I have failed this city,” she blurted out, unsure of where this sudden boldness came from. “I’m not exactly your usual M.O though. I mean, I’m certainly not rich—“

“And you’re not guilty,” he interrupted her, his voice low and soft and not what she was expecting.

She tilted her head in confusion, “What?”

“I heard about your case from a friend, someone I’ve helped in the past.” He cleared his throat, “They came to me, explaining your predicament.”

Felicity stared at him, confused. Who was the connection between her case and the vigilante? He was an enigma, she hadn’t really thought about the fact that he was a person. A person who probably had friends and family.

“Whoever framed you was a pro,” he continued. “And without you or anyone having any idea of who would have a motive to do so, there was nothing I could do, no lead I could chase down. No stone I could overturn that the police couldn’t.”

“If the point of you coming here was to comfort me on the night before I get my freedom taken away from me for the rest of my life, you’re doing a pretty poor job,” she remarked.

“My friend believes that you aren’t guilty, and I trust that judgement.”

“Tell that to the judge,” Felicity muttered.

Ignoring her, he kept speaking, “I looked into you. Grew up in Las Vegas, double majored at MIT in computer sciences and cyber security, working at Queen Consolidated in an IT position you’re extremely overqualified for, and not a murderer.”

“Right, but none of that matters because in everyone’s eyes I am a murderer. They think I murdered my boyfriend,” she choked out.

“There are times when the law doesn’t bring justice, which is why I have an offer for you. I’ve come to realize that it might be helpful to have someone to help me in my crusade. You have a certain skillset with technology that I don’t have. In return, I can train you in the skills you would need to fight at my side.”

“I’m afraid I won’t be much help to you when I’m locked away in prison,” she sniffled.

“Exactly, which is why you won’t be in prison.”

She shook her head, “I don’t understand. You said earlier that there was nothing that you could do to clear my name.”

“If you’re dead, there’ll be no name to clear,” he replied evenly.

Her eyebrows shot up and she reactively scooted backwards on her bed to press herself firmly against the wall. “I’m sorry but I’m struggling to follow your logic here.”

“There are ways to so convincingly fake a death, that Felicity Smoak will no longer exist to the world,” he explained.

“Doesn’t really sound like living if no one can know that I’m alive,” she pointed out.

“Being stuck in a cell for the rest of your life for a crime you didn’t commit isn’t living. At least this way, you would have a chance to help people, a freedom to run through the streets, even if it’s only under the cover of darkness.”

She bit her lip anxiously. A part of her was telling her that this was insane. Listening to mysterious, hooded strangers known for killing lots of people was a bad idea and there was no way she could trust him.

The other part of her found his offer appealing. She had always had this desire to be a part of something bigger than herself. And he was right, being stuck in a prison cell with a less than 0% chance of her name ever being cleared, was not a life she wanted.

But her, being a vigilante? That was crazy. Earlier she was stressed out about getting caught in the crosshairs of a prison fight, she wouldn’t survive out on the streets.

“Why me?” she asked quietly, breaking through the silence that hung heavily between them. “I’m pretty sure I’d be more of a liability to you than an asset. Last time I tried, I could do maybe 3 push-ups. I haven’t hit anyone since the 7th grade when a stupid boy wrecked my science project. I only run when I’m late for work and even that is more of an awkward jog. I’m not exactly sidekick material. I’m sure you could find some big, strong guy somewhere in Iron Heights who would be glad for a get out of jail free card.”

“We all start somewhere Felicity,” he answered, and she didn’t miss the hint of amusement that laced his words. She couldn’t help but like the way he said her name; the emphasis he put on certain syllables. Shaking her head, she reminded herself that this was a cold blooded killer, a person whose identity she didn’t have the faintest idea of, not a boy she could entertain a crush on.

“With the help of others and experiences that pushed me past anything I ever thought I was capable of, I forged myself into a weapon and became who I am now. From what I’ve seen and heard as I looked into your case, I think that there’s a strength in you. A potential that would be wasted in prison. And besides, I’m not looking to free a guilty man. I’m interested in giving an innocent person a second chance. But ultimately it’s up to you to make a choice and I’m afraid there’s not much time for deliberation. Things need to be set in motion in preparation for your trial and transfer tomorrow, should you choose to accept.”

She tasted blood as she realized she had worried her lip to shreds. Releasing it from her teeth, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. In all honesty, she had no idea what she wanted to do. However, she was pretty sure it was something other than her current two options.

She wished she had been able to think of a reason why someone would want to kill Cooper. That would at least be a lead the police, and maybe this vigilante, could follow that might lead them to whoever was behind all this. Anything that could clear her name. It seemed like there was a part of Cooper’s life that he had kept hidden from her, and now it had come around to hurt both of them. She should feel lucky that she wasn’t dead right along with him, but she was angry that she was going to have to give up any semblance of a real life anyway, no matter what she chose.

Pressing her palm into her forehead, she weighed her options once more in her head before making a decision.


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story really starts to get moving now, enjoy!

**2 Weeks Earlier**

_Felicity heard the sound of the front door opening over the clicking of her keyboard._

_“Hey Babe, I’m just finishing up this code and then I’ll be ready for dinner,” Felicity called down the hall. “Don’t eat all the egg rolls without me….”_

_A loud thud was the only reply._

_“Cooper?!”_

_Her heart lurched as she hopped up from her chair and ran down the hall. The scene that awaited her made her blood run cold as panic coursed through her veins._

_Lying on the ground in a pool of blood and spilled Chinese take-out, was her boyfriend._

_She surged forward and frantically felt for a pulse._

_“Cooper! Cooper stay with me…”_

_One glance at the slit in his neck and the gigantic bruise on his temple and she crumpled into a heap on the floor next to him._

“Laurel, I promise if I could remember anything else I would have told you,” Felicity explained after repeating her story for what felt like the millionth time. “The next thing I knew, I was being taken away in cuffs. I didn’t kill him and I don’t know why no one is believing me.”

Laurel sighed, flipping through the file in front of her, “I believe you Felicity. I’m just afraid that with all this evidence that’s been gathered against you, and no other viable scenarios being offered by the detectives assigned to this case, there’s no way that we can convince a jury. Whoever framed you was thorough. The fingerprints on the knife, the collected correspondence indicating relational discord which gives you a motive—“ Felicity opened her mouth to interrupt her but Laurel raised a hand to stop her before continuing, “---that you claim was fake and I believe you, the tip that was called into the precinct that night, making sure that it happened on a night you were working from home so you were there during the murder… it’s all stacking up. Without any other suspects, the courts will be interested in putting this one away quickly and cleanly. I promise I will do everything that I can for you though. There’s one more option that I haven’t explored yet.”

“Thank you,” Felicity whispered, shifting her cuffed hands forward to bump against Laurel’s. “I just want this nightmare to be over. I have absolutely no idea why anyone would want to go to all this trouble to kill Cooper and frame me. We both work--- worked IT for reputable companies, we don’t have connections to anyone important, we lived fairly ordinary lives.”

Laurel hesitated for a second before replying, “Felicity, there’s a possibility that Cooper wasn’t the man you thought he was. People keep secrets, even from those they’re closest too.”

Felicity shook her head adamantly, “No. I trusted him, we were together for a long time. He was a good guy.”

“Of course,” Laurel nodded but Felicity could tell that there was a trace of skepticism lingering in her voice.

She had to admit that Laurel’s words had planted a seed of doubt inside of her. People don’t just get murdered in their homes for no reason. She just didn’t want to believe that the man that she loved, the man she’d thought she would one day marry, would have something to hide from her.

At least something to hide that was a lot more serious than his dislike of Scandal she thought. He was such a trooper for putting up with that season one binge watch before he finally came clean...

If only she had the faintest idea of what secret he might have been keeping that would warrant being murdered.

“Ms. Lance,” the guard got her attention. “Your time’s up.”

“Okay sir,” Laurel responded, gathering her things up. “Felicity… I really am so sorry. Let me look into this one last thing because I’m not going to stop fighting this until the final verdict. Don’t lose hope yet.”

She offered her a small smile, that Felicity weakly returned, before slipping out the door.  The guard stepped forward to unlock her cuffs from the bar across the table and she thought she saw pity in his eyes, a contrast from his stony demeanor. She wondered if he believed she was innocent. He had stood here and heard her speak with Laurel a few times. Heard her tell her story. Of course, so had the judge and he clearly didn’t feel much sympathy towards her.

The next few days came and went in a similar fashion. She would sit in her cell, wracking her brain for any small detail she might have missed in her interactions with Cooper over the years, and each time would come up totally empty. Laurel would come to see her to update her on the status of her trial, and despite her reassuring words, Felicity could see the hope dimming in her eyes.

She did her best not to dwell on the fact that she was facing a life sentence, because ignoring her current reality felt like the best way to cope. She hadn’t cried yet, which was surprising for her. It was probably because she was numb. So numb to everything since the moment the air had been knocked out of her lungs at the sight of Cooper’s dead body.

Numb until tonight, when everything finally crashed over her. And at the same time, she was given a way out of all of it. Sort of.

_“…ultimately it’s up to you to make a choice and I’m afraid there’s not much time for deliberation. Things need to be set in motion in preparation for your trial and transfer tomorrow, should you choose to accept.”_

“Okay,” she whispered, still a little unsure if she was making the right choice. However, once the word was out there, she felt calmer. Felt like this was what she was supposed to do. Swallowing, she added more confidently, “I accept your offer. Even though I still think that this whole thing is crazy and potentially a dream induced by the weird food that they serve here and I will wake up any minute now.”

She thought she heard the faintest of laughs come from him before he coughed and stepped closer to her, “I need to leave soon before my visit doesn’t go unnoticed but here’s what you need to know. Unless something crazy happens and you’re pardoned, I’ll see you tomorrow. I have a connection, it’s best that you don’t know the details, with someone who will replace your transfer guard. He has a certain skill with knives…”

“Uh huh,” Felicity muttered nervously. “I’m not sure where you’re going with this but I don’t think I’m going to like it…”

“He can make an incision that won’t kill you but the blade will be laced with a substance that simulates death for all intents and purposes,” he explained.

“So I’ll be dead, but not _dead_ dead,” she emphasized, her stomach churning at the thought.

Yeah, she was having serious second thoughts about this whole thing.

“Correct,” he stated simply, not reassuring her at all. “Once you’re declared legally dead and Felicity Smoak ceases to exist, I will retrieve your body and we’ll begin your training.”

“Right after I get stabbed to almost death? That doesn’t exactly seem like the appropriate time to be hitting the treadmill. Also, what are the odds that this doesn’t work and I end up actually dead?” The questions tumbled out of her as a million more swirled around in her brain. This was insane. She was going to let a killer’s friend almost kill her. This is not the type of life choices someone who’s a certified genius should be making. “Is it too late to back out? Being stabbed is pretty high on my list of things I never want to happen to me.”

“Felicity.” He reached a gloved hand out and rested it lightly on her arm, causing her to flinch. “I need you to trust me.”

“But I don’t know you,” she pointed out, trying to see the face that was hidden by his hood. “And no offense, but your reputation doesn’t exactly recommend you as being someone I should trust with my life since you’re pretty much known for killing people.”

The more the realization of what she was signing on for sunk in, the more her original doubts resurfaced.

“Trust the man _under_ the hood.”

Again she was reminded that he was a person, not just a news story. She wondered what he was like underneath it all. Wondered what drove him to this life. Did he have a life during the day? People who loved him and had no idea that he donned this hood after they went to sleep? What toppings did he like on his pizza? If he was going to be the only person who knew her after she “died,” she felt like she needed to know what kind of pizza he liked.

Oh frack. He was literally going to be the only person she would be able to interact with ever again once all this went down. The only person who would know she was still alive.

Hopefully he had a decent personality or she was going to go insane. 

Maybe she could join an online community under a fake identity.

Or maybe she could just run away after he faked her death and create a new identity for herself somewhere far away.

Something told her that whoever was behind all of this, the murder, framing her, they would want to make sure she was completely out of the picture. They might find her “death” a little suspicious and staying here, hiding right underneath their noses, might be her best chance.

Besides, he was helping her because he said he needed her. It wouldn’t be fair to repay him by running away.

Not to mention that she was intrigued by him. He was a mystery, and mysteries were only fun when they were solved.

“Will I ever meet him?” she asked, peering up at him.

“Of course, but not yet. The less people who know my identity, the better. On the off chance that you’re pardoned tomorrow, you’ll be safer not knowing.”

“Oh. That makes sense, I guess. It must get lonely though, having to hide this part of you from everyone.”

“It keeps them safe,” he repeated simply, turning to go. There was pain in his voice, she could hear it despite his attempts to hide it.

“Thank you,” she whispered at his retreating back. For believing her, when for days she had been made to feel like a liar and a criminal. For taking a crazy, wild chance on her even though she didn’t know how she could be what he needed.  For things she couldn’t quite put words to.

She still couldn’t believe she was putting her life in the hands of this stranger, but something about him made her want to trust him.

Maybe it was just because the longer she sat in this cell, the more she wanted to take any way out.

He paused, not looking back at her, “You’re welcome Felicity. Get some sleep.”

Yeah. Sleep.

If it wasn’t likely before, it definitely wasn’t happening now.  

And yet, there wasn’t really anything else to think about. She had weighed her options, considered every detail she could think of, and had made her choice. Now the only thing left to do was to wait for everything to unfold.

She made herself as comfortable as possible and took slow, deep breaths to keep herself calm. It was funny how fast everything was changing for her lately, how much she felt like she was living a movie plot. Less than a week ago she had a normal life. Less than a week ago that whole life had been turned upside down.

In the course of an hour, she had gone from resignation to a life in prison to the prospect of a whole new life. If it could be considered a life. It still felt a little like she was going to be in a prison, just one of a different kind, despite the vigilante reminding her that she’d be far freer than she was now in this cell.

One thing was for sure, she would never again be able to consider her life _normal_.

At some point she must have fallen asleep, because the next thing she was aware of was Laurel and a guard coming to retrieve her for her trial.

Laurel pulled her into a hug, “I’m so sorry Felicity. I was really hoping this would go differently.”

Felicity shrugged, “You did everything you could. I really appreciate your help and support.”

She probably should have put on appearances of being more upset, but Laurel didn’t seem to pick up on anything.

“So I hope you don’t mind that I went to your house and picked out a couple of options for you to wear today…” Laurel continued as they walked down the hall.

“What?”

“You get to wear something other than this jumpsuit for your trial,” Laurel explained. She dipped her head sadly, “I’m afraid it might be one of the last times.”

“Hey, at least I won’t ever have to worry again about picking out an outfit,” Felicity attempted to joke.

She wondered what she was going to be wearing when she teamed up with the vigilante. Leather wasn’t exactly her usual go-to look, at least not since her Goth stint in college.

Laurel held up two of her go-to brightly colored dresses that she had brought and Felicity did her best not to laugh.

Undoubtedly, she was going to be undergoing another serious style change.

Felicity nodded towards one of the dresses, “I’ll go with the pink one.”

“Good choice,” Laurel replied, handing it to her.

“So Laurel, what are the chances that this goes in the way that we’re not expecting it to?” Felicity asked casually, fiddling with the fabric of the dress draped over her arm.

Laurel sighed and pressed a palm into her forehead, “Short of a miracle, no chance whatsoever. And I have a hard time seeing them be willing to reopen this case later on unless there’s concrete evidence of who the real perpetrator is. If we didn’t have anything to go off of now, I really don’t think that more time is going to help us. You didn’t think of anything else last night did you?”

She had thought about a lot of stuff last night, just nothing that would help her get out of this predicament.

Well, _legally_ get out of this predicament.

Last night she hadn’t considered how Laurel, Laurel who had done so much for her since Cooper’s death, would feel when she found out that she had “died.” Or anyone else for that matter. She had a few friends, and her mom of course, someone might be a little bit upset. Was it selfish for her to be making this choice? At least in prison she could accept visitors and no one would have to grieve her.

But she would feel so useless.

What the vigilante was offering her, it was a chance for justice. Justice for others that hadn’t been afforded to her. A chance to do good for the city, not just sit in a cell.

So maybe it was a little selfish, but with everything being taken away from her, she wanted to make this one choice.

She shook her head, “No, I couldn’t think of anything.”

“Okay,” Laurel nodded sadly. “This is so unfair. I wish there was something else I could do but I just---“

Felicity wished she could tell her everything about the vigilante and his offer. Would Laurel even believe her? Admittedly, the more she thought about it, the crazier it seemed.  

Regardless, she had a feeling that her new hooded friend would not be pleased with her sharing the details with Laurel.

Instead, she just cut her off with a hug, “I’m going to be fine Laurel. I’m a tough girl, I can handle anything.”

Including vigilante training. She hoped she could handle that.

Laurel smiled weakly, “Okay. Go get changed and then I’m going to see what I can do about this hair.”

“Nothing wrong with a ponytail,” Felicity tossed over her shoulder as she headed into the little bathroom stall.

The mirror was a little bit dingy which did nothing to enhance her slightly bedraggled appearance. Minimal hours of sleep the past couple of nights had caught up to her in the form of dark circles and pimples like she hadn’t experienced since middle school. Her ponytail was certainly looking less than fabulous. Donning a hood that would hide her face was seeming very appealing at the moment.

Unzipping her jumpsuit, she stepped out of it to change into her dress. It fit a lot looser than she remembered and she realized that she hadn’t eaten much since she had seen her Chinese takeout soaked in her boyfriend’s blood.

She shuddered at the images flashing in her head. Whatever Cooper might have done, there’s no way it could have caused him to deserve such a horrible death.

Tears stung at her eyes and she leaned over the sink to splash water on her face before fixing her ponytail. She couldn’t think about Cooper right now, not when there was a million other things she needed to focus on. Like her trial, which would be immediately followed by her death.

She was really hoping her death would be painless. Unfortunately, she doubted that would be the case. Thinking about being stabbed made her want to black out right then and there. This whole vigilante sidekick thing was really going to be a struggle if she didn’t work on her pain tolerance levels.

Laurel was waiting for her when she walked out of the bathroom, “Ready?”

Felicity took a deep breath and stood up straight, “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Quietly, she followed Laurel down the hallway to where a driver was waiting to take them to the courthouse. The entire drive she fiddled with her hands. They itched to fly across a keyboard and write some code or break through a tough firewall. (Not that she ever did anything of a questionable nature like that…) Honestly, she would just be happy to send an email at this point. 

It excited her that the vigilante had implied that she would get to use her tech skills that hadn’t exactly gotten much use in the IT department. For as nervous as she was about the physical training she was going to undergo, computers were a good comfort zone to fall back on and an area in which she was more than confident in her skills.

She realized that she was practically grinning at the thought of messing around with a computer again and wiped her face of emotion before Laurel noticed.

Once they arrived at the courthouse, everything progressed in a blur. She could tell pretty early on that she wasn’t getting a miracle and by the time the final guilty verdict was delivered, she had mentally prepared herself for the events that would follow.

“I’ll come visit you as soon as I can,” Laurel whispered as she pulled her in for one last hug before she was taken away. 

All she could do was swallow and nod silently. The guilt that she had felt earlier bubbled up again but she pushed it down. Laurel had known her for all of two weeks, she would get over her death.

At least that’s what she was telling herself.

She didn’t even want to think about her mom. They might not have spoken in years, but that didn’t change the fact that she was all her mom had left, and she would have no clue that her daughter wasn’t as dead as they reported. Maybe there would be some way to communicate with her that wouldn’t be a risk to either of their safety. Holding onto that small strand of hope, she told herself to stop worrying about all the small details.

Outside of the courthouse, she was led over to a prison transfer van. She was cuffed to a bar in the back and her escorts shut the doors, leaving her with the guards who were taking her back to Iron Heights.

Once they were a few miles down the road, the driver whispered her name.

“Ms. Smoak?”

“Yes?” she replied nervously.

“My partner and I are ready to stage your death, if you’re ready.”

She almost laughed out loud at his words. How many people were actually asked if they were ready for their death to be staged? How does one even respond to that?

“If you don’t mind me asking,” she began. “How exactly is this all going to work out?”

“The intention is for it to look like a motor accident Ms. Smoak. Originally, the plan was to include a stabbing, but our contact felt you would be more comfortable with this.”

He had no idea. Not that this was going to be much better, but she would be glad to avoid a knife through any part of her body.

“We’ll still be injecting you with the substance that will cause you to seem dead enough to be officially declared dead, but you will most likely have passed out from the accident before that occurs. As long as everything goes as planned, when you revive you will have already been retrieved by our contact.”

“The vigilante?” Felicity clarified.

“Correct. Any more questions?”

Oh she had about a million questions, but she didn’t think that there was a point in asking them. It’s not like there was anything that would make her back out at this point. If that even was an option. 

“Actually, yes. How are you going to make it look like we were in an accident?”

“By running us off the road Ms. Smoak,” the driver answered calmly before sharply veering the wheel to the right.

Okay, so basically they were going to be in a real accident. Here’s to hoping she didn’t actually die before they could fake her death.  

The next thing she was aware of was blackness closing in on her as pain shot through her body and the sound of crunching metal filled her ears.


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been fun to read your different theories that you have been leaving in your reviews, this chapter answers a question or two :)

_Wind whipped around her and Laurel shivered as she waited for him to arrive at their rooftop meeting place. Her feelings toward the vigilante and his methods weren’t always positive, but she felt like she was backed into a corner with nowhere else to turn. She couldn’t let Felicity go to prison without knowing she had done absolutely everything she could._

_“Laurel?” he approached her questioningly, and she turned to face him._

_“Hi,” she stood tall before him, confident that this was the right decision in light of the fact that the law was failing Felicity._

_“I wasn’t expecting to hear from you. You’ve been busy at work.”_

_She startled for a moment and wondered just how close of tabs he kept on her._

_“That’s exactly why I needed to meet with you,” she began, handing him a copy of Felicity’s file. “Felicity Smoak, the number one--- only suspect in her boyfriend’s murder a few nights ago.”_

_“I saw this on the news,” he commented. “You think she’s innocent.”_

_It wasn’t a question. He knew that if she was coming to him if wasn’t for help in letting a guilty person go free._

_She nodded, “I’ve looked into everything I possibly could. The judge isn’t interested in drawing this out though for a long investigation since they have no reason to believe that the killer is someone else. The possibility that Felicity was framed isn’t one the court or SCPD are willing to consider. Budgets are tight, open and shut cases are in their best interest. But I know a guilty person when I see one, and Felicity didn’t kill her boyfriend.”_

_“What were you hoping I could do for you?” he asked, flipping through the file._

_Laurel shrugged helplessly, “I have no idea. I just needed to know that I had tried everything I could for her.”_

_“Does she have any suspicions of who the real killer is? And what motive they might have?”_

_“That’s the problem, she doesn’t. I think her boyfriend kept far too many secrets from her. This whole thing completely blindsided her.”_

_“Hmmm. I’ll do what I can Laurel, but I can’t make any promises. I work best when I have a person I can threaten with an arrow to the chest if they don’t give me what I need. Without someone to track down, this might be outside of my capabilities.”_

_She sighed, “Right. I just thought that---“_

_“Laurel,” he cut her off. “I’ll do what I can. For you.”_

_She shook her head and pointed at the file in his hand, “For Felicity.”_

Felicity blinked slowly as she came to the awareness that nearly every inch of her body was in pain. As her eyes focused on her surroundings she realized that she wasn’t lying in a ditch on the side of the road. That was about all she could figure out. She wanted to move but the moment she shifted her leg, a hand shot out to keep it in place.

“Easy,” spoke a voice that she thought was familiar. “I patched you up, but it’s going to be a little bit before your body recovers from the impact of the accident.”

She turned her head slightly and her eyes widened in shock at the man standing beside her. Dressed in the vigilante’s leather, but with the hood down, was none other than…

“Oliver Queen,” he supplied, patting her knee tentatively.

“Oh I know who you are,” she blurted out. “I work for your company. Or your family’s company. Well I did work there before I was dead. But not dead, dead. I guess you know what that feels like, right? And wow I was not expecting you to be, well you.”

His head tilted in amusement at her ramble and she felt her cheeks flush. Keeping up with the Starling City elite had never been a pastime of hers, but because of her job at QC she obviously knew about what had happened with the Queen family when the Gambit sunk. She had seen on the news about Oliver’s miraculous rescue and return. She had heard the whispers around the office about his disastrous behavior at the groundbreaking for the Applied Sciences building. Everything she knew about him didn’t line up with him being the vigilante. It was true that you couldn’t really know a person from what you heard.

If she was intrigued by the vigilante before, she was even more curious to know how the Oliver Queen people thought they knew had become him. What had happened during those years away?

Knowing his identity answered some of the questions she had. She now knew that the vigilante did in fact have friends and family, a life during the day. Which made sense because it would be creepy if he lived in--- whatever this place was all the time.

The realization that she would probably be living here all the time hit her and she craned her neck to look around, wincing in pain at the movement.

Oliver looked down at her in concern, “Are you okay?”

“For having just died, it could be a lot worse.” She sighed, “Just incredibly sore all over and thinking about the fact that my new home is already making me feel a little bit like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.”

His brow pinched in confusion, “What?”

“The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They live in a drippy and damp sewer, which is not too far off from the vibe of your secret base here. I would have thought you would be into the Turtles, you know with the whole vigilante thing and---“

“I know who the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are Felicity,” he cut her off. “Do you really think that I was going to make you live in a basement?”

“Well my house isn’t exactly an option so…”

“There wasn’t much time to get things set up for you, but when you’re feeling up for moving around, I’ll show you what I had in mind.”

“Oh. Okay. What exactly are the extent of my injuries? I don’t really remember anything from the crash.”

All she could remember was the panic that had surged through her veins and the horrifying noises of the van being destroyed as they hit… whatever they had hit.

“Well, since the driver was intentional in how he caused the impact-----“

“Who were those guys anyway?” she interrupted him to ask.

“Just some associates I acquired while I was away,” he answered vaguely.

She raised an eyebrow skeptically, “While you were on a deserted island?”

He sighed, “Sort of. Anyway, because the crash was intentional, your injuries aren’t very severe. Just bad enough for it to make sense that you were dead. I was able to retrieve your body once you were zipped up in the body bag and I brought you back here to patch you up. Mostly just bruises, but you needed a few stitches so I took care of that.”

Felicity looked down and noticed that she was wearing a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants that she was swimming in. If her cheeks weren’t red before, they definitely were now.

Oliver must have noticed her gaze because he pulled his hand away that was still on her knee and cleared his throat awkwardly, “Your dress was torn to shreds. I didn’t—“

“It’s okay,” she interrupted him. “No different than if I was in the hospital.”

Except that he wasn’t a doctor and if it wasn’t for the fact that she was grieving the death of the love of her life she’d probably be incredibly appreciative of his handsome face. As opposed to just mildly appreciative, which she… was. Admittedly, she had thought that Oliver was cute ever since she had seen pictures of him at work but it was always more like the kind of crush you have on an actor. Totally unattainable and just nice to look at, and she was completely fine with that because she was in love with Cooper. Oh and Oliver was dead too, so that took unattainable to a whole other level. But now he obviously wasn’t dead and he was standing right next to her and it was like meeting that actor that you have a crush on.

Which was why it was mildly embarrassing that he had taken her clothes off.

“Mhmm,” Oliver grunted.

Fortunately a beeping noise went off, drawing his attention and dispelling any further awkwardness. She turned her head to watch as he walked over to one of his computers. If the crash hadn’t killed her, seeing his primitive set up definitely made her die a little bit on the inside.

Upon inspecting the reason for the alert, Oliver made a noise of frustration and reached for his bow.

“Are you going to be okay if I leave you here?” he asked as he slipped arrows into his quiver.

“Uhh yeah. I’ll probably fall asleep, I’m really tired from everything that’s been going on. It’s secure down here, right?”

“Yes,” he assured her. “I won’t be long. This man’s already on his second warning and I was clear that there wouldn’t be a third.”

She swallowed as the meaning behind his words hit her. It wasn’t like she had conveniently forgotten that the vigilante was a killer, she had just chosen not to dwell on it. She had accepted his offer partially because she wanted a bit of freedom and partially because she wanted to help the city. Her role in the body count was not something she had wanted to think about. Contrary to popular belief, she wasn’t a killer. Would he expect her to be? Would she need to be to survive? It wasn’t that she couldn’t understand why he had to kill, the type of people he was dealing with probably didn’t give him many other options, but she struggled a bit with how calloused he must have become to it. Of course, she had no idea what kind of inner demons he wrestled with because of it.

Her body felt heavy, like a ton of bricks had been dumped on her, and she quickly fell asleep to the steady drip drop of water leaking out of somewhere.

When she woke up she wasn’t sure how long she had slept, but she saw that Oliver had returned and was sitting in a chair looking over some sort of book.

“What’s that?” she asked, attempting to sit up despite her body’s protests.

Oliver hopped up quickly and moved to her side to carefully help her shift into a seated position on the table. It struck her how hands that more than likely killed someone not an hour ago could be so gentle with her. Once she was comfortable, he grabbed the book to show her.

“My father gave me this before he died. There’s a list of names in it, names of people who are hurting this city just like my father did.”

She flipped through the pages and noticed that some of the names were crossed out. Names that she recognized from the news recently.

“So this is how you choose who to go after. It’s not just a blind stab at anyone with a lot of zeros behind the number in their bank account.”

“Correct, although it just so happens that most of the people on this list are wealthy because of the ways they’re stepped on people. My father gave me a specific mission to right his wrongs by eliminating those who are poisoning the city. The people on this list, they’re the root of the problems that the police spend all of their time trying to control.”

Felicity bit her lip as a thought occurred to her, “Is it possible that Cooper’s murder could somehow be connected with one of the names on this list?”

Oliver nodded, “It is. I’ve looked into a lot of the people and I never uncovered anything about your boyfriend, but that doesn’t entirely mean that he wasn’t associated with one of them.”

She sighed, “It just doesn’t seem like the Cooper I knew would have been interested in getting involved with someone like the guys you’ve taken down. Even though some of his ideas may not have been totally above the board, he was always interested in helping people; he wanted to be a hero.” 

Tears threatened to spill over and she blinked them away, “Anyway, you said you had someplace to show me?”

She could see that her quick change of the subject didn’t go unnoticed by Oliver, but he didn’t press her. Talking about Cooper was hard, the pain was still raw and the chaos of the past couple have days hadn’t allowed her to properly grieve. Eventually, she might want to—need to talk about it more, but not today. She had a feeling there were a lot of things Oliver didn’t like to talk about either and that’s why he understood her own hesitation. Or maybe he just didn’t want to have to listen to her cry about her ex-boyfriend. They had just met yesterday, could barely be considered acquaintances, they weren’t exactly at the heart to heart stage. Maybe they would never be. Would it drive her insane if she was never able to talk, really talk to someone again?

 ~~Probably.~~ Definitely.

But Oliver had to be lonely, since as far as she knew, she was the only one who knew about this part of him. So maybe they’d be able to form some sort of connection based on the parts of themselves they had to keep hidden…. which in her case was all of her.  

By now people had to have heard about her reported death. Did someone pack up the things on her desk at work today? Would Laurel have to find out from the news or would someone tell her? Did her mom walk into her childhood bedroom and mourn the daughter who would never sleep there again? Would her father emerge from whatever black hole he might as well have fallen into since the day he left to shed a tear for his dead daughter?

Being dead was an odd feeling.

“Are you sure you’re ready to move around? We’re going to have to go up some stairs…” Oliver’s voice pulled her out before she could drown in her thoughts.

She nodded, “I think I can handle it.”

She needed to move, walk somewhere, feel alive.

He reached out a hand to her and she paused for a fraction of a second before nestling hers into it. Strong, his hands were strong and calloused and a little bit soft too. The contradiction between the violence he was capable of and the careful way he was around her struck her again. With his help, she stood up, wincing as her body absorbed the shock of settling onto her feet.

“Maybe the stabbing would have been better after all,” she muttered quietly, indiscernible to him. She didn’t want him to feel bad that she was in pain after everything he had done for her.

“Let’s take it slow,” he advised, his other hand coming to the small of her back. Her body tightened at his touch and he pulled back immediately.

“Sorry I just—“ she didn’t know how to put it into words that him touching her in such a familiar way brought a jolt of a memory of Cooper’s hands running down her back as he tried to coax her away from her computer and that she just couldn’t separate everything out in her brain yet.

Once again he didn’t question her, just kept his hand far enough away from her that it didn’t feel like it was burning through her skin yet close enough to reach out for her if she would stumble. He guided her over to the stairwell where they slowly made their way up, one stair at a time. At the top, he led her out to a large open space.

“So this,” he gestured with his hand, “Is where my nightclub is going since I need a cover for where I am at night.”

“A night club, so homey,” she quipped sarcastically, before biting her lip. Despite feeling safe around him thus far, she wasn’t sure how he would respond to sass.

She exhaled in relief as he just shook his head, the amusement that sometimes flickered across his face turning up the corners of his mouth, and turned her back towards the stairs they had just come up. Pressing on a panel, another set of stairs was revealed.

“I had a separate space sealed off upstairs in case it ever came to the point where I needed to live close to my base of operations,” he explained. “It’s not finished yet, but now that you’re here, I’ll get it finished so you have somewhere to live. Some place that’s soundproofed from the club and not a drippy and damp basement.”

“But what about you?” she asked, following him up the stairs a little bit quicker now as her muscles loosened up.

He shrugged, “I’m living at home for now. And if necessary, I don’t mind sleeping on the cot downstairs. I’ve slept in far worse conditions.”

At the top of the stairs, he opened another door that led into a small space. It wasn’t a mansion but it was certainly nicer than a prison cell. There was a small kitchenette, stickers still on the appliances and a cabinet door unaffixed. A small desk was pushed up against the wall, accompanied by a rigid looking wooden chair. In the corner was a cot with a quilt and pillow neatly stacked on top. A chest of drawers completed the furniture collection. She stepped forward and fingered the soft quilt, taking in the room that would be her home now. It seriously needed some color.

He cleared his throat and spoke up, “Like I said, it’s still a work in progress. Your arrival wasn’t exactly factored into my timeline.”

“The blankets in prison weren’t this soft,” she remarked, turning to face him. “So that’s already an improvement.”

A small smile cracked his face at her comment. It was a nice smile and she had a feeling that it was rare occurrence, so she saved the mental picture. In the short time since meeting him she had felt like his face was masked in mystery, even when he wasn’t wearing the hood. When he smiled though, she felt like she could see a glimpse of the person he was under everything that weighed on him.

“Good. And you can order whatever you want. Furniture, clothes, anything. Although, if there’s anything you definitely need from your home, I’m not above breaking and entering to retrieve stuff before it’s all sold off.”

She hadn’t even thought about what would happen to her possessions. Of course they would get rid of her things, she was dead after all.

“Actually, there are a few things from home that are sort of important to me…”


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So some of the comments that I received on the first few chapters brought to my attention a few things that I wanted to explain better... First of all, this story very loosely revolves around season 1. While I've incorporated a lot of things from the first season, and that's where it is set as far as where Oliver is at in his crusade, there's also going to be some elements that are different. (I mean, the way that I brought Felicity in obviously throws a big wrench in the storyline and that won't be the only big plot/character change) Also, some events are going to happen out of order from how they occurred in the show. I just wanted to clarify this so that you don't have certain expectations for how things are going to go based on how they were on the show because I don't want it to be confusing for you. It is an AU after all and I hope you'll enjoy the different route that I'm taking with this :D Anyway, explanations aside, I'm really enjoying reading all of your theories and getting your feedback on this story so thank you very much!!

_When he unzipped the body bag he was struck by how young she looked. In the cover of darkness last night, he hadn’t been able to see her clearly and the pictures that had been in her file were nothing like seeing her soft, innocent features in person._

_She reminded him of Sara. The Sara he took on the boat. The Sara he watched lose bits of that innocence as she was forced to do things to survive on the island before the ocean sucked her away from him again._

_He wondered what he was thinking, bringing her into his world. His world of darkness and pain. At the same time though, he knew that prison wouldn’t suit her either._

_Originally, he had just wanted to help Laurel. Like always, he wanted to do whatever he could for her to see him as a hero, even though she didn’t know it was him under the hood._

_When he realized he wasn’t going to be able to help Laurel, he had started thinking about how he could help Felicity._

_He learned that she worked for his family, hidden in the IT department despite being incredibly brilliant, according to everything he had found on her. She had skills he could utilize. He could train her in the skills she didn’t have. She could be a partner for him._

_He told himself he was crazy for even considering this. Was he really that lonely that he would rope some girl he didn’t even know into his crusade? He had spent his time since being back pushing everyone away from him because he was too dangerous, so why did he suddenly want to pull **her** into his darkness? Maybe it was because there was a part of him that hoped he wasn’t a monster. Maybe if she saw the true self that he hid from everyone else and wasn’t afraid, then he could open up to his friends and family. Even considering all that, it was insane and so far from the calculated moves he had grown accustomed to making. _

_Once it was on his mind though, he couldn’t shake the idea. If she was innocent, which he believed she was, she didn’t deserve the fate that the law was intent on serving her. So maybe it was a wild proposition, but if it would save her from a life in prison, he could at least offer it to her._

_And she accepted._

_So now she was here, a trickle of blood dripping down the side of her face, and he was questioning all over again if this was the right decision._

_He carefully lifted her out of the body bag and rested her onto the table, his medical supplies nearby._

_He told himself that he could protect her. From the second he had opened her file he had felt responsible for her, and that sense only grew now that she was lying in front of him._

_To have agreed to his crazy plan she must be brave under the desperation of being faced with this or prison. That was good, as courage laid the foundation for everything else he would ask of her._

_Her skin looked so pale against her bright pink dress. If he hadn’t known better, he would believe that she was dead. The injuries she had sustained from the accident were minimal but nonetheless real and he could tell that, at the very least, the gaping wound on her shoulder would need stitches. It would be easier for him to determine the extent of her injuries if she was out of her tattered dress, but…._

_He almost laughed out loud at his hesitation. How many dresses had he ripped off in his other life prior to his years away? Making her uncomfortable when she found out that he had removed her clothes wasn’t exactly the first, well second, impression he wanted to make with her though._

_Taking a deep breath, he reminded himself that this was completely clinical. She needed medical attention and he couldn’t attend to her properly if she was all tangled up in this fabric. Besides, until he injected her with the counter serum she was dead to the world and would have no idea what he was doing._

_He split open the side seam and pulled the dress off, leaving her in her underwear and bruised skin. It didn’t take him long to stitch up her shoulder, clean off the blood, and tape up some bruised ribs. The rest would just need some time to heal. Retrieving a clean pair of his sweatpants and a t-shirt, he slid the clothes onto her. They were enormous on her small frame, but they would do until they could order new things for her._

_Now the only thing to do was inject her with the counter serum, wait for her to wake up, and hope she didn’t think that this was a huge mistake. Once the serum was coursing through her bloodstream, he wiped away one last smudge of dirt from her face and sat back in his chair._

Felicity looked up from the computer at the sound of Oliver appearing in front of her. He was so quiet in his movements she hadn’t even noticed him come down the stairs.

“Your tablet,” he handed her treasured possession over to her before listing off the rest of the contents of the duffle bag of stuff he had retrieved at her request. “MIT sweatshirt, purple box of USB drives, your favorite pajama pants, spare glasses, and your toothbrush. You have—had--- a nice place by the way. The Robin Hood poster’s a nice touch.”

She smiled, “One of my favorite movies. Ironic, huh?”

The corners of his mouth ticked upwards as he held out the duffle.

Felicity accepted the bag gratefully, hoping that there hadn’t been anything awkward hanging around her apartment like underwear on the floor.

“Thank you. You’re sure no one is going to notice missing stuff?”

“You’re welcome. And no, they already gathered the evidence they needed, it’s no longer a crime scene.” Oliver walked around behind her and noticed what she had pulled up on the computer screens. “What are you doing?”

“Oh, just running some updates. Your system was tragic and if I’m going to be running tech support from now on, it needed to be up to my standards. I got started on what I could without these,” she said, pulling a few drives out of her box, a wrinkle forming in between her eyebrows. “There’s one missing.”

Panic bubbled up inside of her. She should never have kept that drive in the first place she should have—

“Felicity?” Oliver inquired, concern lacing his voice at the expression that must be on her face. 

She pinched the bridge of her nose and let out an exhale. “Never mind. I must have just put it somewhere else and with the knock to my head during the accident, I forgot. It’s not important.”

With a million things on her mind, the last thing she wanted to be thinking about was that USB drive. Besides, without her it couldn’t actually do any damage, and she was dead.

The glasses were a relief as her favorite pair had gotten crushed in the scuffle the night of the murder and working on the computers had been a strain on her eyes. Slipping them on, she blinked a few times adjusting to the clarity. She was glad she had an extra pair as getting another pair in her prescription, while totally possible, could have proven time consuming and suspicious. She made a mental note to figure out how to get her contacts and other prescriptions.  

She pulled the sweatshirt out next. It was worn out and there was a hole in one of the sleeves but it had been Cooper’s before he passed it onto her and it felt like a warm hug from him. She wished she could have had it while she was in her cell.

“Umm so I’m going to change into these clothes… what do you want me to do with yours?” Felicity asked, gathering the sweatshirt and pajama pants into her arms.

Oliver tipped his head in the direction of a chest of drawers, “On top of there is fine. You can make it upstairs okay?”

“Yeah I think so.” She shifted her feet nervously, knowing it was highly probable that he would shut down her next request. “Would it be possible for me to call my mom?”

“What?”

“I’m all she has left Oliver. She doesn’t have to know details and I can promise that she’s not going to tell anyone. She lives in Las Vegas, she doesn’t even know anyone from here. I just want her to know that I’m alive. Wouldn’t your family have wanted to know that you were alive while you were gone?”

She could tell that he was thinking about it and she figured that it was a good sign that he hadn’t said no immediately after she stopped talking.

Finally, he nodded and pulled a phone out of a drawer to hand to her. “This is untraceable. Keep it short.”

She thanked him and slowly hobbled up the stairs to her new little apartment. Her muscles were aching and a sharp pain was going through her shoulder, but she was just glad that she was in one piece. There had been a moment right before the vehicle crashed where she thought this whole thing was a cruel trick; that the vigilante had been responsible for Cooper’s death and now he had orchestrated hers. Never mind that it made no sense, if he wanted her dead he certainly could have done it that night in her cell, but for a split second she was terrified. Waking up, feeling her heart beat and air fill her lungs, had been a sweet relief. A part of her still couldn’t believe that this was her life, that this wild movie plot was her reality now. The other part of her felt free. And not just free from prison, but free from every expectation that had ever been placed on her. She had a fresh start to shape herself into whatever person she wanted to be. Yes, she had never been much of a fighter, which was why she had been so hesitant about this whole thing, but was that because no one ever expected her to be a fighter? Did she sit at her desk job and do the remedial tasks she was given day in and day out because that was what she was meant to do, or because she had done it for so long now it was just what was expected of her?

Oliver was giving her a chance to be so much more and underneath the present pain she was feeling, emotional and physical, she felt very much alive. Which was a strange feeling for someone who was dead to everyone except for her and Oliver, and the two strangers who had killed her.

She flipped on the light in the small bathroom and assessed her appearance in the mirror. Her hair was a little wild but her pale face was clean other than a few cuts; Oliver must have washed away the blood and dirt that had to have been there.

Shrugging off Oliver’s t-shirt, she almost gasped at the appearance of her torso. She might be ready to begin her training but her body certainly wasn’t. Darkly colored bruises snaked around her chest and ribcage, where she was taped up, and there was a long, crudely stitched gash in her shoulder that explained the pain. It was honestly a miracle that she hadn’t actually died from the accident, but she supposed that, whoever Oliver’s friends were, they must have known what they were doing. Her bra was dirty and fraying a bit at the edges, reminding her that she would need to order all knew clothes. A pang of guilt went through her that Oliver would have to buy her new things, but she couldn’t exactly take everything from her house without raising suspicion. Besides, he was a billionaire after all, and how much did she really need if she was only ever going to be seen by one person except for under the cover of night?

She pulled on her sweatshirt and inhaled the scent of home that still lingered. A mixture of her and Cooper’s shampoos, the vanilla candles she lit in their living room, and a hint of burnt toast. Oh man, she was going to be so screwed if she had to cook all of her meals. Hopefully Oliver wouldn’t mind bringing her take-out every once in awhile…

Despite being a little nervous to take off the sweatpants, she was relieved to see that the bottom half of her was in better shape than the top. There were a few bruises and cuts here and there, but nothing like her shoulder and ribs. The difficulty with walking was probably just coming from incredibly sore muscles. What she wouldn’t give for a hot bath and one of the bath bombs that sat never to be used on her shelves at home. Turning her head to look around the small bathroom she was reminded that that wasn’t exactly an option for her anymore.

She pulled on her pajama pants and sweatshirt before fixing her bedraggled ponytail. It was getting late, but with the adrenaline from the crazy day, and the fact that she had spent a good chunk of it comatose, she knew she wouldn’t be sleeping anytime soon.

Grabbing the phone that Oliver had given her, she dialed her mom’s home number.

It rang and rang and she realized that her mom must be at work. Leaving a message was probably a better idea anyway.

“Felicity, it beeped what does that mean?”

“Mom. Were you even paying attention to the directions? It means you can start recording your message now.”

She bit her lip to hold back a smile. Her mom hadn’t changed this mess of an answering machine message that they had since she was still living at home. Probably because she had no idea how.

“Oh! You’ve reached the Smoak’s, Donna and---“

“Felicity!”

She heard her voice shout from the background.

“Leave a message and we’ll call back as soon as we can. Was that good?”

“Yeah Mom.”

The answering machine beeped and she was torn back into the present day. Taking a deep breath, she tried to organize her thoughts.

“Hi Mom, it’s Felicity. You’re probably really confused right now but I wanted you to know that I’m okay. I’m alive. I’m not sure that I’ll be able to see you again, but I might try to call sometime when you’re not at work. You won’t be able to call this phone.”

She hadn’t spoken with her mom much in years and she was regretting that distance that she had put between them now. They might not have always been on the same page, but her mom deserved better than this.

“There’s so much that I wish I could tell you, but I just want you to know that I love you. Umm… bye.”

After hanging up, she decided to wander back downstairs because she figured that Oliver would have given her the heads up before leaving, and she just didn’t want to be alone right now.

A loud clanging sound filled her ears as she tentatively walked down the stairs that led to the lair and she paused when the source of the noise came into view. Whatever Oliver was doing, she wasn’t exactly sure what one called the metal frame that he was currently ascending, it was impressive. Her feet were glued to the ground as she watched his back and shoulder muscles tighten and relax as he launched himself through the air. A sloppy tattoo on his shoulder drew her eye and she wondered what the story behind it was. It, and the numerous scars that marked him, didn’t detract in the slightest from the muscles that appeared to be carved from stone. Warmth flooded her body and she bit her lip. She might be mourning her boyfriend, but his beautiful body was certainly a nice momentary distraction from the hurt that weighed heavily on her heart.

She had noticed it when she had been talking to him before, but now with his shirt off it was even more clear that he was certainly an incredible physical specimen, which of course was to be expected with his current line of work of running through the streets and jumping off buildings and---

She heard a breathy laugh come from him as he released the bar and dropped to the ground and realized that she may have been thinking aloud. A blush spread over her skin from her cheeks to her toes as he approached her and she dropped her eyes to the ground.

“I bet you’ll be able to do the salmon ladder eventually,” he remarked casually, ignoring her embarrassing comments.

She looked up at him skeptically, “I’m not so sure about that….”

He shrugged, one corner of his mouth ticked upwards in a teasing smile, “Why not? Before you know it, you’re going to be running through the streets and jumping off of buildings too.”

Oh yeah. If there was any doubt, the previous statements had definitely been said aloud.

She stretched out her arms before letting them fall limply to her side, “I can’t even imagine doing any of that right now. I’m so sore, I’ll just be happy when I can walk normally again.”

“I’m sorry. I should have thought of a way to get you out that didn’t involve hurting you---”

“There’s no reason to apologize,” she waved her hand dismissively. “I would be in a cell right now if it wasn’t for you. Although, I’m still not totally sure why…”

“Why what?” he asked, pulling on his t-shirt, much to her chagrin. 

“Why me? Why did you go through all of the trouble to break me out of prison? How did you even come to know enough about my case to care what happened to me?”

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, realization dawned on her. Laurel. He had done this for Laurel. Even with her limited knowledge of him, she knew that he had been involved with Laurel in the past. She had seen pictures of the two of them plastered on the covers of tabloids in the checkout aisle of the grocery store. What remained of their relationship after he had been away for so long was a mystery but he had mentioned that a friend had brought her case to his attention, of course it had to be Laurel.

For some reason she couldn’t quite put a finger on, she felt a pang of disappointment at this. She supposed that somewhere in her subconscious she had already crafted this story where she and Oliver, two people with huge secrets, two people out saving the city, fall in love. It probably stemmed from the reality that all she had any more was him; how convenient for her to forget the fact that they were totally unthinkable. The only reason she was here was because he wanted to do something for Laurel, not for her.

But that was okay. She liked Laurel a lot and Oliver needed a girlfriend who could actually interact with society.

“I told you,” his voice broke through her thought bubble. “It’s… hard for me to admit, but I could use a partner. Someone who can do the things that I can’t. When Laurel brought your case to me---“

Mhmmm.

“--- originally I was going to see if I could help her clear your name. When I looked into you I realized that, even though I couldn’t dig up anything that would secure your release, you might just be the right person to join my crusade. Sure, you might not see yourself as any kind of vigilante right now, but you might be surprised what you’re capable of when you don’t have many other options. I am who I am because of what I needed to do to survive. Of course, I could always help you move away so you can set yourself up with a new identity if you would be more comfortable doing that…”

Resolve filled her and she remembered why she wanted to do this. It didn’t matter who this was all about, because she wasn’t here to play the love interest. She was here to help him save the city.

“No. If you need me, then I’m staying. I’ve already considered the new identity and it’s too risky. I refuse to believe that Cooper’s murder was some random fluke. Whoever killed him and wanted me to get locked away for it, is going to make sure that I’m definitely out of the way, so they might not buy the questionable circumstances of my death. Hiding out under their nose might be the safest thing until they are satisfied that I’m truly no longer in the picture.”

He crossed his arms and nodded, “Okay.”

A thought crossed her mind and she added one last thing, “I have one condition though. If I’m going to help you with your crusade, you’re going to help me with mine.”

He raised an eyebrow, “And what’s that?”

“To find out what happened with Cooper. My boyfriend was murdered, I’m not just going to let that go. I hate mysteries, they need to be solved, and that includes this one. Now that I’ve had some time to think without the stress of my trial looming over me, I think I have the beginning of an idea of why they might have targeted Cooper. Trust me when I say that if I’m right, it could be a big problem for the city. You don’t want this piled on top of the bad guys on your list.”

Hesitation flickered across his face but he eventually held out his hand, “Fair enough. Partners?”

She put her hand in his and nodded, “Partners.”


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your continued support on this story! Reading all of your reviews has been very encouraging and it's been fun to hear your different theories as the mystery slowly unravels. Just a heads up, I'm going to be updating from now on on Friday afternoon/evening my time which is EST so you can look for this story a little earlier now :)

_“Hi Mom, it’s Felicity. You’re probably really confused right now but I wanted you to know that I’m okay. I’m alive.”_

_He jabbed the button forcefully to stop the audio recording, frustration emanating off him in waves._

_“What does that sound like to you?” He didn’t wait for an answer before plowing on, “The only reason I didn’t have her killed was because you convinced me that it would be better to use her to cover our tracks. And now, she’s not rotting in prison, or dead. These plans have taken years to formulate, mistakes cannot be made and listening to your council on this was clearly a mistake.”_

_“With all due respect sir, if she actually knew or suspected anything, wouldn’t she have alerted the authorities by now? The circumstances surrounding her reported death were a little questionable, but I’m sure she’s just fled to somewhere far away and won’t cause any complications._ _She’s smart and will have no trouble setting up a new identity. Sure, this message was certainly a slip up but people don’t always think clearly when it comes to their families. ”_

_“For your sake, I hope you’re right. Still, I want the 24 hour surveillance on her mother to continue since that’s the only potential contact we’re aware of at the moment. If you discover anything else suspicious, I expect it to be reported.”_

* * *

 

_At first Oliver wasn’t sure what ripped him from his nightmare until he heard the screams. Instinct took over and he reached for the nearest sharp object before running up the stairs. When he reached the door to her room and saw that it was still securely shut, he slammed to a stop at the realization of what was going on._

_She wasn’t in danger, she was trapped. Trapped in her own head. A prison that he knew from experience could be far worse than one containing iron bars._

_He raked his hand down his face and wondered again what he was doing with her. He didn’t even know how to pull himself out of his own nightmares most of the time, let alone help someone else. Every night she spent on the streets with him would only provide more material to be replayed for her when she tried to sleep._

_Tentatively, he pushed upon the door and blinked a few times to adjust to the low light. She wasn’t screaming anymore but he could hear the sound of her heavy, frantic breathing filling up the small room._

_He approached her cot slowly where she was tangled up in her sheet and there was a deep crinkle in between her eyebrows that expressed the distress she was feeling. Before he was aware of what he was doing, he started to reach out to smooth that crinkle with his thumb. He was a fraction of a centimeter from making contact with her skin when her eyes blinked open in confusion and he jerked his hand away._

_“Cooper?” she whispered desperately, her eyes scanning him._

_He could tell the moment that realization hit her and she deflated._

_“Nightmares?” he asked, immediately regretting such a stupid question with an obvious answer._

_She sat up and turned herself to lean up against the wall, her knees curled up to her chest, and took a few deep breaths before nodding._

_“Every night since he died--- since he was killed, I relive it all over again. It’s so vivid, so real.” She sighed, “I’m sorry for waking you.”_

_He shook his head and crouched down so he was on her level, “Don’t worry about it. I wasn’t exactly having good dreams either.”_

_“They don’t ever stop, do they?” she asked, resignation in her voice. “The nightmares.”_

_He shrugged, “If you figure out the secret, let me know.”_

_She let out what he thought might have been a laugh, quiet and a little wry._

_“What was yours about?”_

_Her question came as a surprise and she must have noticed the hesitation on his face because she hastily added, “I mean, you don’t have to tell me. I don’t know why I asked.”_

_“I don’t talk about what happened when I was away.”_

_His voice was harder than he intended and he could see her curl more tightly into herself._

_She picked at a hole on the sleeve of her sweatshirt and avoided eye contact with him as she spoke again, “Thanks for checking on me. I think I’ll be fine now.”_

_A part of him wanted to talk to her, tell her about the memories that haunted him, open up to someone like Thea had asked him to. That was the selfish reason he had for bringing her into his crusade, wasn’t it? To show someone the dark parts of himself and hope they weren’t too horrified, so that maybe he would no longer fear scaring his friends and family. Laurel._

_The other part of him protested that he couldn’t dump this on her, not yet, not when they had just met and she was fighting her own demons. Besides, he hadn’t considered that opening up would lead to getting attached. He couldn’t risk that when he started training her, when they started going into the field together. It was dangerous. Emotions complicated things. He already felt a sense of responsibility for her, a desire to protect her, he couldn’t push things any farther if this partnership he had reluctantly agreed to was going to work._

_Still, he couldn’t bear to just leave her alone to fend off the nightmares again. Softening his voice, he tried to amend things, “Are you sure?”_

_She nodded, still avoiding his eyes, “Really. I’ll be okay. I don’t think I’ll be falling right back asleep anyway.”_

_“Do you mind if I sit with you for a bit then?” he asked, surprising himself._

_She looked up in surprise as well, “I thought you didn’t want to talk.”_

_He paused and cleared his throat, “I don’t. But it might be easier to relax again if you’re not alone.”_

_He didn’t want to be alone right now either. He didn’t really want to ever be alone, but it didn’t matter what he wanted. His duty right now was to the city and he had managed to bury his wants deep down to the point where he had convinced himself that they didn’t exist. That he was okay alone, because it was better for everyone that way. Tonight though, he wanted to allow himself to mask his wants in hers. If that’s what she wanted._

_He hoped so._

_She offered him a small smile, “I’m not used to sleeping alone anymore. Well except for my few nights in prison but to be fair I didn’t really sleep that much while I was in prison. Not to insinuate that we would be sleeping together because you said sit with me which obviously implies that this won’t be that kind of situation, not that I wanted that anyway--- and I’m just going to stop in 3…2…1…”_

_A blush was creeping up her neck and onto her cheeks that he could see even in the dim light. Reaching for the desk chair, he turned away to hide the amused smile on his face._

_He pulled the chair next to her cot and sat down, clasping his hands on his lap, “I’ll be here. Sitting. Try to get some sleep, your body needs it to heal.”_

_She nodded, and laid back down. He noticed her wince as she accidently settled onto her shoulder, before shifting slightly to get more comfortable._

_A few minutes later her breathing had evened out and the crinkle between her eyebrows was gone._

Oliver was gone when she woke up. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting. She supposed it didn’t really make sense for him to stay in that hard desk chair all night. She wondered if she would have fallen back asleep so quickly if he hadn’t been there. It was funny to her that someone whose presence instilled fear in so many, was calming and reassuring to her. She never would have asked him to stay but she was so glad he did. Being all alone magnified the feeling of loss she was experiencing since Cooper died. Her mind tried to bring him back to her, but it never succeeded in replaying the good memories, just that one terrible, cruel night. With Oliver there, the loneliness wasn’t so sharp, her mind was able to rest, let her sleep peacefully. He told her last night that he didn’t know how to make the nightmares go away but maybe that was because he had shut himself off from everyone.

Her stomach growled and it distracted her from her thoughts. She had no idea what she was going to do for breakfast, and first she needed to assess her body. Lifting her arm, she winced as pain shot out from her shoulder. Not any better than yesterday. She used her other arm to push herself up into a seating position, being careful with her taped ribs. They were still a bit sore, but not nearly as painful as yesterday. Her legs felt stiff and when she slid them off the bed one at a time they felt like they were made of lead. Finally, she was able to stand up and take a few tentative steps. As the blood flowed through her legs they started to loosen up and she headed for the stairs.

She wasn’t sure if Oliver would be downstairs, wasn’t sure exactly what hours he kept in his cave. Realization hit her that she had no way to contact him if he wasn’t here. It made her feel helpless, having to rely on him for everything because she was unable to even leave this building. Getting caught because she didn’t want to have to wait around for him to get some breakfast wasn’t exactly the best way to repay him for all the trouble he had gone to for her extraction though.

It turned out that there would be no such dilemma anyway, because when she made it down the two sets of stairs, he was already there and in the middle of a workout. She tilted her head and observed with wide-eyed amazement as he lowered himself down into a pushup as he was in a handstand against the wall. It seemed like shirtless Oliver doing ridiculous feats of fitness was going to be a regular occurrence. He kicked down from the wall and she averted her eyes.

“How are you feeling this morning?” he asked, walking towards her.

“A little better than yesterday, I guess?”

“It should take about three weeks or so for you to be back to normal. There’s no reason to push you any sooner than that,” Oliver replied, reaching for a container. “I brought you some breakfast. Raisa made pancakes and eggs this morning.”

She looked up at him, “Raisa?”

He handed her the food, “She’s on staff at my house.”

He hadn’t put a shirt on yet and she took a fraction of a second to trace her eyes down his torso. An interesting tattoo marked his chest, what she was pretty sure was a bite mark cut into his side, and there were numerous other scars marring his flesh. She was beginning to understand why he didn’t like to talk about what happened while he was away. If his body revealed anything that he wouldn’t, it was that his wasn’t a typical castaway story.

She accepted the food gratefully and went to sit down.

“Mmmmm,” she sighed as she took a bite of the pancakes, warm and fluffy. “So much better than prison food.”

“I don’t think that’s a compliment Raisa has ever gotten before,” Oliver remarked.

Smiling sheepishly, she finished the rest of her breakfast while Oliver resumed his workout. Breakfast and a show. Not bad.

The smile slid from her face when a memory flashed through her mind. Both her and Cooper were terrible cooks, there was a reason why they were regulars at all of the take out places within a 5 mile radius of their house. One day they were both craving pancakes and figured that they couldn’t be that impossible to make. Two hours later, batter everywhere, and a melted spatula following the charred pancakes into the trashcan, they had given up and drove to a diner. The cooking attempt had been a disaster but she was pretty sure she had never laughed harder in her life. Blinking back the tears that were threatening to spill over, she mumbled to Oliver that she was going to take a shower.

Once she was upstairs in her little room she let the tears fall as a complicated mix of emotions surged through her.

Sadness, because she missed Cooper so much. He was the first person she had ever loved, the person she saw the rest of her life with.

Anger, because she had been backed into a corner by his actions, his secrets. A choice between a life sentence in prison or taking up Oliver’s offer to join his crusade and lose any other semblance of a life wasn’t exactly the kind of choice she had ever expected to have to make.

Guilt, because she felt a pull towards Oliver. She chalked it up to gratefulness for what he had done for her and a surface level attraction, on top of a desire to have anyone fill the space Cooper had left in her heart, because that’s all you could feel for someone you had just met. She reminded herself again that she barely knew him and that there could never be anything between them. There was no reason to feel guilty. Cooper had been her first love and he would be her last.

Which brought her back to sadness all over again.

She needed to pull herself together. As soon as her body healed, Oliver was going to want to begin training and in the meantime, she needed to investigate her suspicions of what had happened with Cooper. It was no wonder that Oliver seemed to be an emotionless blank wall most of the time. It seemed like the only way to stay focused was to shove the pain down and pretend it wasn’t there. She had seen it flicker across his eyes a few times but she had a feeling that it was rare for him to lose control over his emotions. She wondered when he had last had an honest, genuine conversation with someone. Even if she didn’t have much to offer him, she wanted to have a connection with him. It would be dreadfully lonely if their relationship was nothing more than a partnership rooted in their crusades. She wanted him to feel like he could open up to her. She almost laughed at that thought when she considered the way his walls had gone up so rapidly last night when she asked him about his nightmares. She was going to have to be patient with him and hope that eventually he would realize that he didn’t have to hide anything from her.

* * *

 

**3   W E E K S   L A T E R**

 

Oliver gently peeled the tape off of her ribs and lightly smoothed his fingers over her skin.

“So this is what happens when you actually give things proper time to heal,” he muttered.

Felicity had spent the last three weeks putting together some semblance of normal for herself. She had ordered a new wardrobe of practical clothes, filled her fridge with food that didn’t require any sort of culinary skill to consume, replaced her cot with a much comfier bed, and painted her room a happy shade of purple all thanks to Oliver’s trust fund. She had repaid him by assisting him over the coms while he was out in the fields and he had crossed a good number of names off of his list. He refused to let her do much physical activity except for some stretching and walking around. She thought that he was being ridiculous since he never waited for anything to heal before he was back out in the field the very next night, but she knew her body wasn’t accustomed to the stress that his was, so she waited patiently.

When she wasn’t helping Oliver, she looked down every trail she could think of on her search for what had happened with Cooper but she kept hitting dead ends. Knowing that her USB drive had gone missing was a new angle she could investigate that she hadn’t considered when they were putting her on trial. Not that she could have exactly brought that up to the police anyway. But it didn’t matter, she still felt as clueless as she had been before. All she wanted was to get justice for Cooper and for herself and she was frustrated that, for now, there was nothing she could do.  

She also spent a lot of time reading. Books were a way for her to escape her present situation and feel like she was still a part of the world. At first she had suggested that Oliver just pick some up from the library for her…

_“Umm no. The last time Oliver Queen was seen in a library was never. If they aren’t already, people will be convinced that I’ve gone insane. Just order whatever you want.”_

And so she had built quite a nice little library for herself, stacked up in piles in her apartment.

Watching Oliver train provided a fair amount of entertainment as well and she could tell that he enjoyed showing off for her. One day she had occupied herself for almost an hour by throwing tennis balls into the air for him to shoot down.

Her bow that he had custom made for her had come in a few days ago and she was itching to give it a try. She knew that long hours of training stretched out ahead of her before she would be ready to join him in the field and she wanted to get started as soon as possible. Even with the things she had been doing to fill her time, she was antsy being stuck in the foundry and was ready to be out on the streets. Jogging was sounding good to her for the first time in her life if it meant a little bit of freedom.

“How does your shoulder feel?” he asked, pulling his hand back from her ribs so she could pull her shirt back down.

She rotated it in a few circles, “No pain.”

“Good.”

She slid off the table and walked towards her computers, “So whose name are you crossing off tonight?”

He shrugged, “I think I’ll give the list a rest tonight.”

She glanced over her shoulder at him, “Oh?”

“I had something else in mind since you’ve been stuck in here for so long and I imagine you’re feeling pretty trapped.”

Nodding, she smiled at him, “You read my mind.”

“Come with me,” he directed, heading up the stairs.

He led her out to the alley behind the foundry where his motorcycle was parked and her eyes widened in realization.

“Oliver, I just finished recovering from an accident and you think a motorcycle ride is a good idea?”

“I’m a very safe driver when I’m not chasing anyone,” he assured her, a hint of teasing in his voice, and tossed her a helmet. “Besides, with that on, no one’s going to notice you. So it’s perfect.”

She sighed and put the helmet on. At this point she was up for anything that would get her away from the foundry. Besides, she needed to be willing to start pushing herself out of her comfort zone. A motorcycle ride was minor compared to the risks she would have to take once she started joining Oliver in the field.

He straddled the bike and offered her a hand to settle herself in behind him.

“Hold on tight,” he instructed, revving the gas.

Wrapping her arms around him, she muttered, “I imagined you saying that under different circumstances.”

She felt him stiffen and realized that he heard her over the noise, so she quickly added, “Very platonic circumstances.”

He shook his head slightly in what she hoped was at least amusement and not annoyance, even though it was embarrassing either way, before taking off. One day she would have a proper filter between her brain and her mouth, but apparently today was not that day. They zipped through the streets and he drove them out of the Glades into the nicer parts of the city. The lights from buildings blurred against the dark sky and she found herself actually enjoying the ride. She released her death grip on Oliver ever so slightly and relaxed to lean into the turns more comfortably. For weeks she had felt like she was in a prison, despite a lack of iron bars, but in this moment she could feel a rush of that freedom that Oliver had promised her.

They were looping back to the foundry when Oliver pulled them into an abandoned alley and shut the bike off. He helped her dismount and she removed her helmet.

“Nice ride?” he asked.

She nodded, “Yeah, it actually was. And I didn’t die so that’s an improvement over my last experience in a moving vehicle. Where are we?”

“Night’s not over yet.”

She bit the inside of her lip as her heart skipped a beat and she immediately chastised herself for where her brain went at his words. She reminded herself that they were in a dirty alley and this was probably reconnaissance, not a romantic rendezvous… which was unthinkable in a million different ways anyway.

Some semblance of friendship was all she needed.

After that night where he had stayed with her, she had been optimistic that maybe they would be able to make a connection, but he had been pretty distant since then. He went back to sleeping at home and she was left to fend for herself at night. Their interactions over the past three weeks hadn’t comprised of anything other than talking over the coms and surface level conversations when he wasn’t brooding about something. It seemed like he was in a better mood tonight though.

She followed him a few feet to where a door was cracked open a bit in one of the buildings. He pushed it in, and offered her his hand.

“I have something to show you.” He tugged her along gently, “Watch your step.”

Inside, she glanced around and wasn’t sure what was so special about the building. It was empty, and dilapidated, and dark, and dingy, and---- well you get the point.  

“Oliver, what is this place?”

He pointed at a set of stairs in the corner, “The best place to access a good vantage point of this sector of the Glades. Be careful on the way up, some of the stairs are missing.”

“Are you sure you’re not actually trying to kill me? For weeks you refused to let me move and tonight it’s motorcycles and potentially falling to my death.”

“Trust me Felicity, there are a lot more efficient ways for me to kill you.”

“Good to know,” she muttered and he winked at her.

Following him up the stairs, she kept her eyes glued to the ground so she didn’t fall through. At the top, Oliver opened the door and they stepped out onto the roof.

“Wow. You weren’t lying about the view,” she remarked, walking towards the edge and taking in the sight that stretched out before her.

One glance at the ground below and her stomach lurched.

“Okay, I might have forgotten to mention that I’m afraid of heights… which I just now realized.”

Taking a step backwards, she slammed into Oliver’s chest and his arm shot out to wrap around her and keep her from stumbling.

“We’re going to have to work on that fear,” he commented, not letting her go.

She closed her eyes, “Are you going to drop me from this building?”

His chest moved as he huffed out a laugh, “No. But let’s sit down.”

Releasing her, he grabbed her hand and helped her settle herself down on the roof carefully, her legs swinging over the edge.

“Heights aren’t something you have to be afraid of. Falling, maybe, but not heights,” he mused.

“That’s easy for you to say, you’re not afraid of anything,” she replied, gripping his hand so tightly her knuckles turned white.

He glanced over at her, “There are things that I’m afraid of Felicity.”

She tilted her head, “Right. You just don’t like to talk about them.”

He sighed, “I wasn’t alone on the island. There were other people there, and some of the things they did to me, things they made me do, things I did to them of my own free will, were horrifying. That’s why I don’t like to tell people about it.”

“When I was in college I designed a super virus with the power to cripple a city and I’m pretty sure my boyfriend stole it and that’s somehow connected to his murder and I have no idea who has it now and I am so angry that I've had everything I worked so hard for in my life taken away from me and I don't even know who to direct that anger at,” she blurted out before taking in a deep breath. “I know what it’s like to have done things in your past that you had really hoped would never get uncovered, so I understand why you don’t feel comfortable talking about it, but I also know how hard it is to keep it all inside. You might be trying to protect your friends and family from having to know about what happened to you because you don’t think they can handle it and you don’t want them to see you differently, but you don’t have to hide from me.”

He was silent for a moment and then she heard him exhale. “Just how bad is this virus in the wrong hands?”

She almost rolled her eyes. And here she thought they were getting somewhere. “You’re deflecting Oliver.”

“I’m focusing on the mission.”

“Okay, but are you ever going to talk to me about anything else?”

“Why is it so important to you?” he asked and she could hear defensiveness in his voice.   

Why was it so important to her?

She didn’t want to push him to talk about things he wasn’t comfortable with… but his demeanor the other night when he came to her room made her think that he was tired of being alone with his nightmares. She didn’t understand why he was shutting her out now.

“Because you are the only person I have left that I can talk to, and for the past few weeks I have often felt like a cement wall might be more personable.”

He shook his head, “You sound like my sister. She wanted me to open up to someone and when I was originally putting the plan together for you to join my crusade, I thought that person could be you. But then I actually met you and I realized how selfish that was. Plus, I’m worried that getting close to you will affect my being able to put you into dangerous situations when we’re out in the field.”

“Oliver, it’s my life. It’s my choice to join you in the field. I know I seem basically useless now as I cut off your circulation because I’m terrified of sitting on the edge of this roof,” she released his hand apologetically. “But I’m going to be the best vigilante trainee ever and then I’ll be able to protect myself. You told me that you thought I was capable of becoming what I needed to survive just like you did, don’t forget that. So if you ever decide that you want to open up to me, you don’t have to feel like it’s somehow going to put me in danger. And to answer your other question, very bad.”

She had said all that she wanted to say. If he needed to focus on the mission, they would focus on the mission.

He looked over at her in confusion, “Very bad, what?”

“The virus in the wrong hands would be absolutely disastrous. I told you, it has the power to shut down an entire city, throw it into total chaos. It the kind of weapon that one of the guys on your dad’s list would love to wield. Fortunately, I’m the only one who knows how to run the virus. For now at least. With enough time, someone who is as smart as me could probably figure it out.”

He stood up and held out his hand to help her up, “Well then I guess we better get started with your training before that happens.”

“Okay, but I have one more question. It’s a really important, deep, probing one and I need an answer, so prepare yourself.”

He cleared his throat, “What?”

“What’s your favorite kind of pizza?”


	6. Chapter 5

_Felicity opened a box that was labeled for her office and started pulling out the items packed inside. The past couple of days had been a slow unpacking of the few possessions that they had brought with them from Massachusetts and her office was the last room that needed to be put together. In the bottom of the box was the USB that she had thrown in at the last minute and had slipped in between her other things. She wasn’t sure why she hadn’t just destroyed the drive, destroyed that last remaining piece of her and Cooper’s “hacking like it’s an Olympic sport” days. A part of her knew that it was risky to keep, but the other part of her was proud that she had created something so powerful and she didn’t want to get rid of it. It didn’t have the power to do any damage just sitting in a box in her desk, right?_

_Cooper came up behind her and she startled when he spoke up, “It’s a shame we never got a chance to see what that virus could really do…”_

_“I’m pretty sure that was actually for the best. We very surprisingly managed to avoid run-ins with the law, but shutting down an entire city would not exactly be considered staying under the radar.”_

_He kissed the top of her head, “You’re right. Besides, we have real jobs now, I suppose we have to be law abiding citizens.”_

_She tilted her head back to look up at him, “You make it sound so boring.”_

_He raised an eyebrow at her, “You don’t think that you’re going to get bored working IT? A job that you are a million times over qualified for?”_

_“It’s a good job at a good company Cooper. And I won’t run the risk of getting arrested. Plus, the insurance package was really hard to pass up. Are you getting dental over at Merlyn Global Group? You should really double check that.”_

_He shook his head, “You’re too cute for prison; they would never suspect you of anything.”_

Felicity drew another arrow and squared her feet in front of one of the targets Oliver had set up for her. Her body was tired and protesting her continued efforts but she was determined to practice for a little bit longer that evening. There hadn’t been much conversation of substance between them, but all the time they were spending working out together, whether it be going on runs at night, strength training, or sparring, was bringing them closer. At least she felt that way. Doing as Oliver did, even if it was only half (let’s be honest now, _less than half_ ) as well, helped her to understand why it was therapeutic for him. The training regime she had been on for the past three and a half weeks since she was finished recovering was vigorous to say the least, and it helped to keep her mind off of Cooper. As a result, the pain was starting to dull. There was still that strong desire to figure out what had happened, to right the wrongs that had been done, but she didn’t feel quite as if her heart was ripping in two. Nights were still the hardest though and so she pushed herself to exhaustion.  She was pretty sure she had never slept so soundly in her entire life, which definitely helped with the nightmares. She tried to ignore the fact that in some ways, she was turning into Oliver.

Day one of her training had been rough to say the least. Oliver had woken her up before the sun for a run through the glades, the darkness and hood of her sweatshirt keeping her from drawing people’s eye. Her lungs and legs had been screaming for mercy after 20 minutes of trying to keep up with what she knew was a light jogging pace for him. When they finally made it back to the foundry she had wanted to lie on the floor for a solid hour but he had started her right away on strength training. It felt like a more torturous version of high school gym class. With the way her body felt like jello after push-ups, crunches, hauling cinder blocks and a half-ish pull-up, which was all she had been able to manage, the thought of her ever doing the salmon ladder felt even more laughable. After a lunch break, and him refusing her suggestion that he let her take a nap break, they had spent hours breaking down different combat techniques. How she was actually able to move at all the next day was still a mystery.

But now, almost a month later, her pull-up record was at a solid two, three on a good day, she was running faster, and she was getting better with her bow and knives and bamboo sticks, and whatever other weapons Oliver put in her hand. There really was not much else for her to do, so she was able to devote all of her time to getting stronger and more equipped to join Oliver in the field. He had been right when he said that she was capable of more than she thought and that she just needed the right situation to bring it out. She had never felt inferior before when her intelligence was her greatest asset, but this new challenge made her feel powerful and strong in a way she had never felt before. One thing had always been true about her: she was a hard worker. When she threw herself into something, whether it be designing code or learning fighting techniques, she pushed herself to excellence. It was how she got out of Vegas and it was how she was going to survive on the streets.

In addition to overseeing her training and crossing names off of the list, Oliver had been making a lot of progress with the club and it wouldn’t be long before it would open for business. She had to be more careful, as there were often contractors milling about. While she wasn’t sure any of them would actually make a connection between her and the girl who had been arrested almost two months ago for murder, it would still be weird for a person to randomly appear from an area that was supposed to be sealed off. One of Oliver’s friends was often around overseeing things and she figured he was somehow involved in the project as well.

There was no sense in commenting on the fact that Oliver barely went home anymore; she had a feeling his family gave him enough of a hard time for it. Plus, the selfish part of her liked him to stay at the foundry so she didn’t have to spend long hours alone.

Pulling the bowstring back, she aimed like Oliver had instructed her and released the arrow. It hit several inches from where she was hoping and she grunted in frustration. Oliver made it look so effortless.

Her first time picking up the bow, she had been awkward to say the least. It felt heavy and unwieldy in her arms but Oliver had assured her it would get easier to hold as she got stronger and more comfortable with it. He told her that she was lucky she was learning on a compound bow, which was far easier to draw than the one he had learned on. She was just relieved that she got to bypass hitting a bowl of water for weeks to build up the strength like he had told her about.

Of course he told her all of that _after_ he made her do it for an entire afternoon just for kicks. She had leveled him with her best death glare but he had just laughed and said that he had always wanted to see how ridiculous he must have looked when he had to do it.

Hearing him laugh might have been worth it, but having to hit that water for any longer amount of time would have pushed her over the edge into insanity.

Even with her supposedly user friendly bow, the arrows kept slipping off the bowstring and clattering to the floor and she wanted to scream. She had figured out what she was good at in life at a young age and she hadn’t strayed far from it, so trying something new was incredibly frustrating, but she was determined. Oliver had patiently adjusted her grip and stance, guiding her with his hands just grazing her body, and told her to try again. After what felt like hundreds of attempts, she had finally managed to stick an arrow actually in the target. Every day since then, she had spent hours practicing and while she was improving a lot, she still had a long way to go before she could actually disarm a person. Or even hit a moving target.

“You’re still too tense.”

She jumped as Oliver’s voice came from behind her.

“Draw another arrow and relax your shoulders,” he instructed, taking a step closer.

“I thought tonight was Thea’s birthday party,” she commented as she grabbed an arrow.

“It was,” he answered simply.

She drew the arrow and felt his hands come to rest on her shoulders, easing away the tension she was holding there. “Relax,” he whispered, his breath hot on her ear, before taking a step back to allow her to shoot.

With her eyes on the target, she took a deep breath and let the arrow fly.

“Much better,” Oliver appraised.

Her arrow was embedded into the target only a fraction of an inch from the center.

She set her bow down and stepped forward to pull her arrows out of the target. “So why aren’t you at home for your sister’s party?”

Oliver sighed, “It ended prematurely with her crashing her new convertible into a tree.”

Felicity whipped around to face him, her eyes wide. “Is she okay?”

He handed her a baggie, “She would be a lot better if she hadn’t been high on this. My family’s lawyers are pretty good at cleaning up messes, they had a lot of practice with me, but it would certainly be less of a mess if she had decided to go for a joyride before becoming a legal adult. The judge is going to be pleased that an opportunity to make a poster child for his hard stance on drugs has dropped right in his lap. Happy 18th birthday to her.”

“Oliver, don’t you think she would appreciate you being there for her right now? As in, physically being there instead of having disappeared to your secret lair.”

“Finding out who is behind this new drug and eliminating him is how I can be most helpful. I need you to run an analysis and figure out anything you can about it.”

It didn’t surprise her at all that he was dealing with this by jumping right into action. She also knew there was no way she could persuade him to do otherwise.

She held the bag up to the light and inspected the pills inside. “Okay, but that could take a few days.”

“That’s fine.” He grabbed his bow, “Meanwhile, I’m going to see what my methods can dig up.”

While he was gone, Felicity started her analysis of the drug and finished her workout. She was pulling herself up for a new record of four pull-ups when she heard the door slam and she slipped off the bar in surprise.

“Owww,” she rubbed her elbow and frowned. “I was so close…”

Oliver stalked past her angrily and muttered, “Vertigo.”

“As in the disease that affects the inner vestibule of the ear?”

He glanced over at her with confusion on his face, “What?”

“Not what you meant. So what’s Vertigo?”

“The name of the drug. I managed to corner one of the dealers but that’s all he could be persuaded to tell me. Which means that’s all he knew.” He slammed his bow down on the counter and she jumped. Someone was in a really bad mood tonight. “Oh, and also that apparently the guy behind all of it calls himself The Count.”

“Sounds like he’s a little dramatic,” Felicity commented. “I started running the tests on our Vertigo sample. I’ll keep you posted.”

He sighed, “Thank you.”

He started pacing across the foundry and it was making her nervous.

She fell into step next to him, “If you’re not going to go home and act like a normal person when their sister was just in a car accident maybe you should hammer your tire or do something else other than pace. Like the salmon ladder. I like watching you do that….” She dropped her voice off when her brain caught up to her mouth and she cringed internally.

He ignored her and walked over to his set of drawers to grab a change of clothes before disappearing into the bathroom. A few minutes later, he emerged and picked up his sledge hammer like she had suggested.

Sitting down in her chair, she mindlessly clicked around on one of the computers to make it seem slightly less obvious that she was watching him.

She was pretty sure he was well aware.

But who could blame her for sneaking a peak of those gorgeous muscles in action when he worked out right in front of her?

After a long period of silence, he spoke up, “I would do anything to protect her.”

She looked up from her screen, “Of course you would. That’s what big brothers do. Your methods might be a little unconventional though.”

“I wasn’t always a good brother to her.” He slammed his hammer against the tire. “I was too selfish.”

She stayed silent and waited to see if he would say anything else.

“When I was away…” he began and she shifted forward in her seat. “At one point I came back to Starling before I actually came back.”

A million questions surfaced in her brain but she pushed them away. She was trying to be more patient with him, not push him so much to talk, and she would be happy with whatever he chose to share. Even just a small piece of the mystery that was Oliver Queen was something more than what she knew before.

“I saw Thea. She had grown up so much but all I could see was my little sister and how much she was hurting.” He punctuated his sentence with another swing at the tire.

“There was a party.” Slam. “Her drug dealer was there.” Slam. “And I snapped his neck.” Slam.

Felicity swallowed and gripped the edge of the desk at his admission. This was the sort of secrets that she wanted him to be able to tell her so that they wouldn’t be bottled up inside but it still caught her off guard to be so bluntly reminded of what he was willing and capable of doing.

“I’m a monster Felicity. It might be unconventional, but the only way I know how to be there for my sister is by eliminating the people who are hurting her.” He dropped his hammer on the ground and walked away.

She was contemplating going after him---

  _And telling him what?_

\---when a beeping noise came from one of her computers and caught her attention. For the past couple of days she had been attempting to get into the Merlyn Global Group server to see if she could access anything related to Cooper. She knew it was a long shot, but it was possible that there was a clue to what had happened buried within the company he had worked for, and she had to try to crack in. Her shoulders slumped when she realized that the displayed message meant that she had once again been unsuccessful. If she could get to the mainframe, she might have more luck….

She heard the sound of water running as the shower turned on. Oliver might be able to help her get in, but this Vertigo situation had to take precedence for now.

* * *

 

Felicity thrashed in her sheets as the nightmare she had avoided for a while assaulted her mind. Cooper’s body in her arms, blood seeping into her t-shirt, being ripped away from him by the police, the cold metal cuffs around her wrists. She needed to wake up and break free but she couldn’t open her eyes.

Someone was touching her.

Her reflexes had grown sharper over the past couple of weeks and even in her half consciousness, her hand shot up to get whoever it was away from her.

They grabbed her wrist, “Felicity. Felicity, wake up.”

She wanted to wake up but all she could see was the police officer lifting her away from Cooper, felt his hand on her.

“Don’t take me away from him,” she whimpered.

“Felicity, it’s Oliver.”

The mirage disappeared and her eyes opened to see Oliver standing above her.

He released her hand and crouched beside her bed, waiting for her to calm down.

“I’m sorry for waking you,” she breathed out once her heart had stopped racing. “I thought I was better. I guess it didn’t help that I was looking into some stuff tonight and--- do you know anything about Merlyn Global Group? Like the CEO?”

Oliver stood up and looked at her in confusion at her seemingly quick change of topic, “Why?”

“That’s where Cooper worked,” she explained, moving to sit up. “He didn’t talk a lot about it and before I thought it was just because it bored him, but now I’m not so sure.”

He pointed at a spot next to her, “May I sit?”

She nodded and scooted over a bit to make more room for him.

“My best friend is Tommy Merlyn. His dad is the CEO of Merlyn Global and, while he’s one of the worst fathers on the face of the planet, I’m not sure what interest he would have in killing one of his IT specialists.”

“Even if his IT specialist possessed---stole a super virus?”

Oliver looked at her skeptically and she realized that it was a little farfetched. What were the chances that Cooper would ever even have a reason to speak personally with the CEO of the company and have her super virus be brought up? Super slim. She hadn’t even thought that Cooper was aware that she hadn’t destroyed the drive like she had strongly contemplated doing.  

She shook her head, “Forget about it, it was a stupid theory.”

He placed a hand on her knee and her eyes instantly dropped down to it. “It’s not stupid. You’re on a good track with looking into his work since that’s probably where he would have gotten involved in something without you knowing.”

His thumb had started rubbing circles and she wasn’t sure if he was aware that he was doing it or not. Even through her pajama pants, his touch was sending warmth up her thigh and she needed him to stop immediately.

“Thanks,” she muttered. There was nothing else she could do without getting access to that mainframe but she was resolved to help Oliver with the Vertigo problem first, so she wasn’t going that bring it up yet. “I guess I should be getting back to sleep now…”

“Are you sure? I mean… are you going to be okay all by yourself?” he asked hesitantly, squeezing her knee gently.

It wouldn’t be the first time that he had kept an eye on her while she struggled to go back to sleep after a nightmare, but something in his voice when he asked made things seem different tonight.

Was he asking if he could stay?

He had had a rough night, it was certainly plausible that he didn’t want to be alone but he didn’t know how to say it. This was what she wanted, right? To be able to be there for him in return for what he had done for her? In hopes that if she could help him deal with his scars, the things that haunted him, he could help her with hers?

Maybe he had actually listened to her the other night when she said that he shouldn’t worry about her being put in danger by them getting close.

But what kind of close had she meant? She might like Oliver, but she was still being haunted by Cooper and she certainly wasn’t over him.

What kind of close had he meant? For all she knew, he was still in love with Laurel.

Then there was the whole factor to be considered that she was supposed to be dead and you can’t have a real relationship with a dead person if that’s what either of them had meant by close.

It was complicated and she couldn’t answer every question that she had, but she could answer the one he had asked.

She looked up at him, “It will probably be easier to fall back asleep if I’m not alone.”

He cleared his throat and started to stand up, “I’ll get the chair.”

She reached up to lay a hand against his back, “Please don’t sit in the chair.”

He stilled and turned to look at her and she immediately felt awkward, like she had overstepped.

“I mean if you want to sit in the chair you can but that can’t be comfortable and there’s plenty of room in this bed, well not really, but there’s enough room for the two of us if we lay close to each other but not _close_ close, I wasn’t implying anything, but if that’s too weird I understand and you can sit in the chair….”

Silently, he raised an amused eyebrow at her before sitting back down onto the bed and leaning back to pull her into his arms, maneuvering them so they were settled comfortably into the bed together. Her head was up against his chest, and the steady beat of his heart was comforting after the nightmares filled with death. The strong arms holding her made her feel a lot less alone in her pain. 

“Better than the chair?” she whispered.

She could feel him laugh. “Better than the chair.”

She wasn’t sure what they were doing, what this was, but she did know two things.

One, she was glad that neither of them were alone tonight.

And two, he wasn’t the monster he thought he was.

A monster wouldn’t have cared about her. Wouldn’t have stayed with her because she was having nightmares. Wouldn’t have told her he was afraid of her getting hurt.

He wasn’t a monster.

He was a violent storm and the calm in the center was his good heart. 


	7. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something you guys have been waiting patiently for happens in this chapter...

_“Nice turnout for the grand opening,” Tommy commented, looking out over the crowded dance floor._

_Oliver crossed his arms and grinned, “All thanks to you, general manager.”_

_Turning his head, he saw Felicity slip out from the door to her stairwell and her eyes widen as she remembered what was occurring. Before he could make his way over to her, she spotted him and started weaving in and out of people to move towards him. It was dark enough that no one would notice her and even if they did, no one in this crowd would have the faintest idea that she was supposed to be a dead criminal. Explaining her to Tommy might be more difficult but he wasn’t sure how to get rid of him in the thirty seconds it would take for her to be in front of them._

_Tommy nudged him, “Whoa man, hottie approaching…”_

_She was wearing a black tank top and jeans, a stark contrast in the sea of bright clubbing dresses, and her hair was down, her curls spilling over her shoulders. He would never admit it, even to himself, how much he loved her hair. It was soft, he had discovered this when it tickled his face the other night as she was nestled in his arms, and it always smelled good, even when she was all sweaty and her ponytail would whip past his face while they sparred. Her glasses magnified her big blue eyes and framed the freckles that dotted the bridge of her nose and… and when did he become so aware of her? He was used to being hyper-observant, it was part of his survival instincts, but this wasn’t just picking up details on a potential threat._

_“Uhhh that’s…”_

_He dropped his sentence and cleared his throat as Felicity stepped up to him and placed her hand on his arm. Touch was not something that he responded well to. He supposed it was because so much of the touch he had experienced over the past years was meant to inflict pain. Yet somehow, the feeling of her fingers gently pressing into him was comforting, grounding. The other night when he had stayed in her bed with her, felt her nestled against his chest, had been the first night in a long time that he had slept. Whatever effect she had on him….he really didn’t know what it was, but his brain was screaming at him that he needed to pull away. Put distance there. Don’t get close. And maybe stop spending way too much time memorizing the details of her face. His disastrous attempts thus far to repair things with Laurel should be an indication that he couldn’t handle this._

_“Hey Oliver… do you think I could borrow you for a few minutes,” Felicity asked._

_Her voice was even, Tommy would most likely pick up on it as flirtatious, but he could tell by the look on her face that she had something important to tell him._

_“Yeah…” He turned to Tommy, “Tommy this is…”_

_Felicity extended her hand to Tommy, “Megan. Nice to meet you Tommy.”_

_“Nice to meet you too, Megan.” Tommy shook her hand and Oliver watched his eyes drop down her body appreciatively. A pang of annoyance shot through him but he wiped any trace of it from his face when Felicity turned back to him expectantly._

_“Head on up to my office.” He pointed up at the door that Felicity already knew the location of but he wasn’t sure that “Megan” should. “I’ll be there in just a minute.”_

_She nodded and turned to walk away. When she was just out of earshot, Tommy let out a low whistle. “Not your usual type, but I approve. Where did you meet her?”_

_“Prison,” Oliver deadpanned._

_Tommy’s eyes widened and Oliver plastered on a smile, “Just kidding.”_

_Tommy paused for a second before laughing, “Oh, okay, because that would be weird.”_

_“You have no idea,” Oliver muttered under his breath as he turned to follow after Felicity._

_Tommy clapped him on the shoulder, “Have fun man.”_

As soon as Oliver walked into the office, Felicity turned to him apologetically. “I’m so sorry, I should have just waited until I could catch you alone. Do you think I sold that okay? He’s not suspicious of anything is he?”

He shook his head, “First of all, Tommy doesn’t watch the news so he has no idea who Felicity Smoak is and second of all, he’s not suspicious of anything. He most definitely thinks I’m getting laid.”

She stared at him for a second and she could have sworn that the look that crossed his face indicated that he was considering the merits of pushing the papers off of his desk, pushing her onto it, and fulfilling Tommy’s expectations. It struck her that she wasn’t entirely opposed to that concept, which made her think that maybe she had imagined it.

After staring at him for a second, waiting for him to fumble to recover like she would after a comment like that and only being met with expectant silence, she cleared her throat, “Anyway. Less exciting. I got a lead off of our Vertigo sample.”

Oliver blinked, “Oh. Yeah?”

“Mhmm. It was made in an abandoned juvenile detention center nearby actually. Also, I was able to get into the police database and they have a few photos of suspects for our Count based on information they got from apprehended dealers. So we have a where and an idea of a who.”

He was rubbing his fingers together the way he always did when he got anxious and she knew he was going to want to hood up right away. “Maybe you should just enjoy your club opening tonight though and go after The Count tomorrow. I don’t think he’s planning on going anywhere.”

Oliver was silent for a few moments before sighing, “I don’t want to lose any more time on this.”

“Okay, I have a suggestion. We don’t know for sure that The Count himself is actually there right now so it could be a waste of time for you to go out----”

“Well I could still check out the place,” Oliver interrupted her to point out.

Felicity crossed her arms and shot him a look, “Or……”

“Or what?”

“Or I could go investigate,” she suggested.

“What?” He narrowed his eyes, “No.”

“Why not? It’ll just be a little recon. I know I still have a long way to go with my training, but I think I can handle it. I need to eventually get some practice out in the field.”

“You are not going out for your first time all by yourself,” he argued.

She took a step closer to him, “You can’t make me stay here.”

“What if something happens that you’re not prepared for and you get hurt?”

She tilted her head to draw his attention to the scar running along her shoulder and, with a teasing lilt to her voice, remarked, “You’ve proven that you’re pretty good at stitching me up.”

“Felicity,” he growled.

“I’m going,” she insisted, not breaking eye contact with him even as he loomed over her. He might think that he could intimidate her by getting all up in her space and using his tough guy voice on her, but he was wrong. The more he argued with her, the more she wanted to go check out the site, even if it might be a little risky.

She could tell the moment he decided to concede as his shoulders slumped a bit and his facial expression became resigned.

“Fine,” he sighed. “But we’re setting up a comms link so we can stay in contact the whole time you’re out.”

She uncrossed her arms and took a small step back, “Fair enough.”

“And you can’t go out wearing that,” he added.

She looked down at her jeans and tank top, “Well yeah, I’ll put a jacket on or somethi---“

“No,” He interrupted her, shaking his head. “Come with me.”

Her curiosity was piqued as they stealthily made their way out of his office and through the club to the hidden door to the basement. When they got downstairs, he rummaged through some boxes and pulled out a folded square of dark gray, almost black fabric. He handed it to her, and upon closer inspection, she realized it was a pair of pants and a jacket. While she unfolded the garments, he grabbed one last piece of her ensemble.

“Leather and Kevlar,” he commented, nodding to the jacket in her hand. “And I had your quiver custom made to fit your most valuable weapon.”

He grabbed her tablet that she had sat down on the counter and locked it into an extra compartment that she would be able to access just as if she was retrieving an arrow.

“Bullet proof,” he reassured her.

She looked at all of the items and it sunk in even more that she was doing this. She was suiting up and joining the vigilante of Starling City’s crusade. It had seemed so far-fetched when it had first been proposed to her, but now it was her reality. She wasn’t Oliver, she hadn’t spent 5 years who knows where doing who knows what, but she also wasn’t the Felicity he had met in that cell of Iron Heights all those weeks ago. There was so much she still needed to improve at for sure, but she was ready to start putting into practice the things that Oliver had taught her.

Oliver cleared his throat, “You can use the bathroom down here to change. It should all fit… I based it off the measurements of the clothing you ordered.”

She nodded and headed off to the bathroom. It wasn’t often that she used this one because she liked to keep things separate. This was Oliver’s bathroom, with his toothbrush and his soap and his towels, and her bathroom was upstairs with her things. They weren’t bathroom sharers. Their toothbrushes didn’t sit in a cup together.

Taking off her jeans, she exchanged them for her leather pants before zipping her jacket on over her tank. She turned to the mirror and flipped up her hood to complete the look. It was weird seeing herself like this, and she wasn’t sure if she had earned the hood yet, but she was working her hardest for it. With every crunch and push up, and with every mile run and punch thrown and arrow shot, she was giving it all she had. 

She deepened her voice and tested out Oliver’s line.

“Count Vertigo, you have failed this city.”

Shaking her head, she laughed at how ridiculous she sounded. No amount of training was ever going to make it not seem funny to her that she, former Queen Consolidated IT girl and fan of button downs and pencil skirts, was now donning leather to go shoot arrows into people with the Starling City vigilante.

But not tonight. There would be no arrow shooting tonight. Recon. Just recon. Oliver might shoot an arrow into her if she got into an altercation tonight.

She pulled the hood back down and stepped out of the bathroom, feeling herself flush at Oliver’s appraisal. His mouth parted slightly, as his eyes dropped down her body quickly before he snapped his gaze back up to her eyes.

“It all… fits well,” he commented after a few awkward moments of silence, his normal vague demeanor returning to his face.

“Yeah.” She reached for her quiver, which Oliver had loaded with arrows while she was changing.

“This is just in case of an emergency,” he reminded her. “Don’t engage.”

“Oliver, I’m not stupid. I know what I’m capable of and what I’m not.”  

She wasn’t interested in picking a fight, she just wanted to do something helpful for him and he was being so difficult.

“Right, I’m just still not totally on board with this---“

She shot him a look and he sighed. “I’m sorry.”  

She strapped her quiver onto her back and reached for some micro cams. “I’m going to plant these around the building so we can keep an eye on things and know if and when The Count is on location. If I’m right and this is the nucleus of his operations, he should eventually show up there and it will save you some time from having to go on a wild goose chase for him.”

“Smart.”

She smiled at the impressed look on his face, “Thank you. What should I do if he is there tonight?”

“That’s why you’re going to have me on the comms, so you can keep me posted and I can get there quickly if necessary.”

That made sense. She might have the basic techniques down for defending herself but she hadn’t had a chance to put them to the test against someone who actually wanted to hurt her. There was no telling how she might react under duress.

“Okay, so I guess I’m ready….”

He shook his head, “Nope. Not yet.”

“Wha—“

He reached for his jar of grease paint, “Close your eyes.”

Closing her eyes, she let him paint the mask with his fingers.

“Now you’re ready.”

Blinking open her eyes, she patted his chest, “And you can go enjoy your party---- wait, no. You can’t go back up there looking like this.”

A confused look crossed his face, “Why?”

“Because if we _were_ having sex on your desk you would definitely be looking a lot more… rumpled. Tommy is not going to buy this.”  

His ears turned pink and she slid her hand down his chest to untuck his shirt.

He coughed, “What are you doing?”

“Just making some adjustments--- oh that sounded wrong, sorry.”

She clutched his shirt in her hands to wrinkle it and then re-tucked it a bit more sloppily. This was quite possibly one of the most awkward things she had ever done, but she was just telling herself that it was entirely for the purpose of maintaining their cover. And not because she was interested in putting her hands down his pants. Not at all. Reaching up, she ran her fingers through his hair to make it look messier.

She took a step back and assessed him. “Not my best work, but considering the less than realistic circumstances, it will do.”

He just stared at her and she felt herself blush, “So… we should get that comms link set up now so I can get going.”

After what felt like an eternity, he finally let out a strangled noise that she was pretty sure was intended to be a “Yeah.”

Once they were all set up, he walked with her out to the back alley to see her off.

The Ducati had been a surprise a few weeks ago. At first, she had told Oliver that there was no way in hell she would ever be riding her own motorcycle. She was a Mini Coop girl, safe and practical. Riding on the back of Oliver’s was often still terrifying enough.  He had worn her down though with his arguments that sometimes they would need to split up so she couldn’t always ride with him and that she would come to “enjoy the thrill.” She wasn’t totally buying the second part, but she understood the reasoning of the first. She could ride a bike and drive a car, so she told herself that this was basically a combination of both… Sort of? Her first lesson had been a total disaster that involved crashing into the club dumpsters and some nasty bruises, but she had slowly gotten the hang out it. While she wasn’t necessarily “enjoying the thrill,” she wasn’t totally hating it either. As long as she wasn’t expected to participate in a high speed chase anytime soon, she could handle a simple point A to point B drive.

She straddled her bike and revved the engine, “Go have fun with Tommy, Oliver. I’ll be fine. Oh, and put some more wrinkles in your pants.”

Once she got to the detention center, she parked the bike in as discreet of a location as possible. Taking off her helmet, she flipped up her hood and took a deep breath. She was ready for this.

She walked over to the building and ran through the list of things that Oliver had drilled into her brain about entering a location without being detected.  

“High vantage point… high vantage point…” she muttered, circling around the exterior. She had had a little bit of practice with scaling buildings…. no, no she hadn’t. That hadn’t been covered yet in Vigilante 101. Relief filled her when she spotted a fire escape. Cliché, but for a reason. It would get her up a few stories and reduce her chances of breaking her neck on the way up.

“Are you there yet?”

Oliver’s voice crackled into her ear and she startled.

“I forgot you were there, but yeah. I’m getting ready to go in. There’s a fire escape.”

“Good. Be careful.”

She started climbing up the rungs of the fire escape, “You know, this was actually a good idea. It feels good having you inside of me.”

She heard him cough and she realized what she had said.

_Strike 2 on awkward interactions for the evening._

“And by you I mean your voice, and by me, I mean my ear. So you can talk me through this and it’s not really like I’m out here by myself and I’m going to stop talking now so I can focus on not falling to my death.”  

He cleared his throat, “That would be my preference, that you come back alive.”

At the top of the fire escape she peered in the window and saw that it wasn’t going to work for her to use it as an entrance.

“Oliver, this isn’t going to work. There’s just some scaffolding near this window and, if I could even reach it, it definitely does not look like it’s going to hold me. I’m just going to have to enter the building through one of the doors. Who puts a fire escape by a window that isn’t accessible? The building has obviously been renovated, or just deteriorated over the years…” she let her ramble trail off.

“Felicity, I don’t want you just walking in the front door to face who knows what.”

“Well I’m not going to go in the front door. There’s at least 12 doors. I have options.” She started climbing back down the fire escape.

“Fe-li-ci-ty.”

“I can be just as stealthy as you Oliver. I’m about half your size and I have experience sneaking around from when I would steal computer parts from my dad…. Okay, totally not the same circumstances, but either way, I’ll be careful.”

There was silence for a few seconds and then he finally spoke up again, “Fine. Just get in, set up the cameras and come ho--back.”

She jumped down from the bottom of the fire escape, “I’m on it. Everything still going well at the club?”

“It’s a good crowd.” She heard him sigh. “This isn’t really my thing anymore.”

“Well try to pretend like you’re having fun since it’s supposed to be your cover for why you spend so much time at a creepy abandoned building that’s now a nightclub.”

“Don’t worry, I am putting on a good show for everyone’s benefit. There’s just no reason to pretend with you.”

She bit her lip as a smile curled up the edges of her mouth. That was everything she wanted to be for him, someone he could be honest with in his world of pretending and secrets and lies.  

“Right. Well, you keep that up. I’m getting ready to go in.”

She cracked open a side door and breathed a sigh of relief when she didn’t feel a bullet enter her skull as she walked in. It was fairly quiet in the building, but she could hear a hum of noise coming from down one of the hallways.

“Everything okay?” Oliver asked.

“Yeah,” she whispered back. “Now be quiet so I can focus.”

Walking down the hallway slowly, she ducked into an open closet and plastered herself against the wall when she heard footsteps approaching. When they passed, she slipped back out and continued in the direction of the noise. The sound grew louder and louder and she realized it was the hum of old industrial lighting. Inside the room where the lights were on, she found what she was looking for. Large stacks of crates gave her a good hiding place and she concealed herself to take in the scene. Rows of people were working, making what she assumed had to be the Vertigo and packaging it. Several men were circling the room with guns but none of them seemed to be in a position of leadership, nor did they look like any of the suspect photos she had viewed.

“This is definitely the place,” she whispered.

“Any sign of The Count?”

She shook her head no and continued creeping along the wall behind the crates, placing a camera in what she thought was a good spot as she went.

“Felicity? Did you hear me?” Oliver asked again.

“Oh yeah sorry, I shook my head but I forgot that’s not going to get the message across. I don’t think that The Count is here. Lots of scary looking guys, with big guns, but not him.”

“And no one has spotted you?”

“Pretty sure we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now if they had,” she muttered, placing another camera. “I just want to get one more angle and then I’ll get out of here.”

“Be ca---“

“Careful. I know, Oliver. Unlike you, I do not have a death w--”

“What do we have here?”

Felicity’s eyes widened and she swallowed hard as she looked up into the eyes of one of the guys who had been patrolling.

“Felicity?”

…

“Felicity? What’s going on?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cliff hanger :P   
> I promise you will be rewarded for the wait until next week :)


	8. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You survived the week and the cliffhanger... Here's an extra long chapter for your patience ;) Enjoy!

_This was his fault._

_His fault._

_He never should have let her go. He should have done whatever was necessary to keep her from going out there by herself. She wasn’t ready. Not yet._

_It was true that she had been working hard for the past few weeks, she was driven and determined and smart and--- none of that meant that he should have sent her into a dangerous situation by herself._

_He hadn’t been thinking._

_Whatever happened to her, was his fault. When he brought her into this, he had placed the responsibility on himself to keep her safe and he had failed._

_“Felicity?” he tried again as he frantically made his way through the crowd to get to the basement door._

_He thought he heard a thud or a scream or--- or his imagination was just running wild._

_Halfway through pulling on his suit, he finally heard her voice._

_“Oliver?”_

_“Felicity? Are you okay? What happened?” he asked, shrugging on his jacket._

_He could hear her breathing heavily and he was pretty sure that she was running. “I got out. I’m okay. Well, for now I am. I think. It’s possible that I’m being chased, but I don’t think I am. We might have other problems though since someone now knows that we know, or at least that I know, that the operation is based there and they’ll probably tell The Count and then they might try to relocate. So it’s possible that we’re on more of a time crunch now.”_

_He heard her rev the engine of her motorcycle and he figured that was a good sign._

_“Felicity, rewind for one second and fill me in on what happened after I lost you.”_

_“Okay, so I got caught by one of the guards. Fortunately, I had the element of surprise on my side because I don’t think he was expecting to find a little five foot five girl. Took him out at the knees just like you taught me---“_

_“I don’t reme—“_

_“--and then I booked it. I mean, I have never run so fast in my life.”_

_He could feel the panic that had been surging through him start to fade. He hadn’t sent her to her death after all. She was going to be okay._

_Probably._

_“And no one else tried to come after you?”_

_“We were behind some tall stacks of crates, so I don’t think anyone else even saw me. I was out of there before the guy could recover enough to sound the alarm.”_

_“And you said that no one who matched any of the suspect profiles we have for The Count was on the premises?”_

_“Not that I saw. My guess is that as soon as he does show up, my new buddy will be informing him of my visit and he’ll want to relocate the operation… Hey, I’m pulling into the alleyway now so I’ll see you in a minute.”_

She parked the Ducati and took a deep breath. That was a whole lot more than she had bargained for. Given the circumstances, she thought she handled it pretty well. She was alive, right?

The overwhelming feeling that it could have gone differently, gone terribly wrong, hit her hard though now that the adrenaline was wearing off.  

Removing her helmet, she slipped into the door and made her way downstairs to where Oliver was pacing like a caged animal.

She leaned up against the wall and waited for him to notice her arrival.

“I told you, it freaks me out when you pace like that. Hit something instead.”

He turned and the relief on his face was evident, along with guilt.

“I shouldn’t have let you go.”

She sighed at his insistence upon taking the blame for her actions. “It was my decision Oliver, and while it didn’t go exactly as planned, it was mostly successful. We have eyes on the place now, and as soon as we see The Count show up, you can go confront him.”

Oliver crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, “Just me?”

“Do you really want me going back out there anytime soon?”

“No,” he grunted.

“Exactly. I’m willing to admit that I have had enough excitement for one night.” She walked over to her computers and pulled up the video feed. “You should be prepared to head over there anytime now. If I’m right, the guard I had a run in with will make contact with The Count as soon as he scrapes himself up off the ground.”

“Scrapes himself off the ground? You must have really done a number on him.”

There was a hint of teasing in his voice and she was relieved that it seemed like he was moving on from his freak out.

She shrugged, “Oh, you know me. A real ass kicking extraordinaire.”

He shook his head in amusement and reached for his jacket.

“Okay, I think I might have at least left him with a bruise,” she claimed. “We can’t all be vicious killers like you.” 

Any trace of amusement left his face at her words and was replaced by a stony demeanor.

“I’m just glad that whatever you did kept you alive,” he muttered, turning away from her to start putting grease paint around his eyes.

She hadn’t meant for it to come out like that and she knew that she had struck a nerve. She wished she could swallow the words back up.

“Oliver, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean---“

“No, you’re right,” he interrupted her, before grabbing his bow and walking over to watch the screens with her. “Any sign of him?”

She shook her head, “Nope. Operation is still humming along like it was when I was just there…. Oh hey, there’s the guy who caught me.”

Oliver leaned in close, “Who?”

“That guy.” She pointed at the screen and muttered, “He definitely looks like he’s limping a little bit.”  

He squeezed her shoulder, “He is. Nice work.”

“Look, I know you want to personally enact vengeance on The Count for Thea’s sake, but what are you going to do about all these other people who are involved?”

“The police can handle the cleanup of the operation. We’ll phone in a tip once I’m finished.”

“Okay. How is Thea doing by the way?”

“Laurel helped get her set up with community service at CRNI instead of a prison sentence. She wasn’t thrilled with the idea, but she’ll eventually come to the realization that she should be thankful for it.”

“That was nice of Laurel,” she mentioned, typing a few commands into the computer.

“Yeah, I think she was relieved that she was able to do something. She was really torn up over how things ended for you and taking Thea under her wing has been good for her.”

“Oh, did Laurel talk to you, like _you_ you, not vigilante you, about me at all?”

He huffed out a laugh, “Laurel has only recently moved on from hating me to tolerating me; we don’t spend a lot of time chatting. I don’t know what I could say to her anyway since she can’t know what really happened.”  

“Right….”

A beep came from her computer and she locked her eyes on the screen.

“What was that?” Oliver asked, leaning in even closer.

“I scanned in the photos of the suspects and set up a facial recognition algorithm for the livestream---”

“Smart.”

“Thank you. And that beep means that someone with a match has entered the premises… and yeah, I’m going to guess it’s that crazy looking guy there,” she commented, pointing at the screen.

He backed away from her and walked towards the door, “Okay. I’ll be back soon.”

“Be safe,” she remarked to his retreating back.

* * *

 

The door thudded and startled her, sending the arrow that she was drawing clamoring to the ground.

“Everything go okay?” she asked, bending down to pick up her arrow.

He walked in and put his bow in the trunk, “Yes. The Count received a taste of his own medicine and Vertigo won’t be finding its way into the hands of kids with too much money to burn anymore.”

She raised an eyebrow, “A taste of his own medicine?”

“I hit him with an almost lethal dose of Vertigo. Don’t think he’ll be endorsing his product anytime soon.”

She fired an arrow at the practice target and it hit just outside of the center, “Almost?”

“The police showed up a little early.” He slipped his jacket off and set it on the counter. “I guess they didn’t need us to tip them off after all.”

“Alright… well…” She set her bow back in its case, “I’m going to go take a shower because I’m gross from running around and I guess if you’re not still here later, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He nodded, “Okay. Good work tonight.”

“I know I still have a long way to go with my training and I mostly just got lucky but…”

“But you made smart and quick decisions. That’s your strength; everything else will come with time and more hard work.”

“Thank you.” She smiled and ducked past him towards the stairs. 

Up in her bathroom, she took off her suit and, standing in her underwear, really took in her reflection in the mirror for the first time in a while. Even in just a few short weeks, her body had started to transform. The softness was starting to disappear and in its place were muscles, just beginning to show their definition. She imagined that this is what she would have looked like if she had played a sport in high school along with participating in all of her various science clubs. Not that she had ever even considered herself to be the least bit athletic; it was a miracle that she was able to do some of the things that Oliver asked of her. She was proud of herself for rising to the challenge though.  

A few bruises marked her body from training incidents, but the marks from her “death” had all but faded except for the scar on her shoulder that would serve as a permanent reminder.

Her hair was a mess. It wasn’t just some slightly grown out roots or even passable as some trendy ombre dye job. It was bleached ends and almost two inches of her darker hair peeking out. She had been in need of a refresh long before she was convicted of murder, she was way overdue now. Thankfully, her natural curls were coming back in all their glory after the damage she had put them through over the years, and that helped to disguise her desperate need for a visit to the salon. Grabbing a lock in her hands, she tried to calculate how much longer she needed to grow it before she could cut it into a brunette bob. Continuing to dye it blonde seemed like a bit of a waste. She wondered what Oliver would think about such a drastic change before realizing that there was no way he wasted time thinking about her hair, or even noticed. Cooper hadn’t commented on her change from black and purple to blonde until almost 2 weeks after it happened.

Stepping into the shower, she let the water run off her body and take away the stress of the night. After weeks of following Oliver’s every instruction, she had wanted to make a decision for herself. She had thought she was ready, and she had been mostly right, but in hindsight he had been right as well to not want her to go out alone. Mistakes were a part of learning, but now she realized that he was just trying to protect her from a potentially fatal mistake. If she hadn’t been able to handle that guy, Oliver would have been too far away to help.

Someone had to have taught him everything that he knew, she was past believing that he had actually been alone on a deserted island for five years, and she wondered if he had ever done anything that his “mentor” would have considered reckless and stupid.

Probably.

Scratch that. With everything that she had learned about his temperament so far, definitely. He had definitely done something reckless and stupid at some point. If not multiple times. She supposed that was why he had finally caved and let her go. He knew from experience that sometimes you had to learn things the hard way, but she wasn’t quite sure what tonight had taught her. On the one hand, she had done her job successfully. On the other, she definitely could have been killed. She needed another chance in the field to see if she had just gotten lucky, or if maybe she really was at the point in her training where she was capable of defending herself. Plus, now that this Vertigo situation was taken care of….

She shook her head. Something was still keeping her from wanting to ask him for help in getting to the Merlyn Global server. It was probably that potentially finding out that her boyfriend had been a criminal was scarier to her than fighting some random criminal. She wanted to find out what had happened, but at the same time, she wasn’t ready yet to tamper with her memory of Cooper. She wanted to hold onto the man that she had known a little longer, it was the only way that she had been able to begin to heal. Just a little longer, and then she would continue digging.

When she had put her pajamas on, she heard a soft knock on the door to her apartment and she opened it for Oliver, who had changed as well and was holding a paper bag in his hands.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to disrupt you if you’re getting ready for bed,” he apologized, taking a small step back.

“No, it’s fine. What’s up?” she asked.

“After the night you had, I thought you might want to join me…” He pulled a carton of ice cream out of the bag. “And eat ice cream.”

“Definitely.” She smiled and squinted at the carton to read the flavor without her glasses on. “Mint Chocolate Chip. You, sir, know how to pick an ice cream flavor.”

“Your favorite?”

“Mmhmm. Let me grab us some spoons.” Turning to walk over to her kitchenette, she saw that the time was almost 4am, but she supposed that, given the weird hours they kept, there really was no inappropriate time for ice cream.

After she had gotten them spoons they meandered out into the, now empty, club and sat down at one of the tables on the balcony.

“Is that underwear I see out there on the floor?” she asked, taking a bite of ice cream.

Oliver peered down to where she was looking, “Yep. Tommy will have fun picking all of that up when he comes back in.”

She shook her head in amusement and disbelief, “Wow.”

“Night clubs not really your scene?”

She shook her head, “Nope, not even with growing up in Vegas. In college I spent most of my free time holed up in Cooper’s room, so my social life was pretty much limited to him, his roommate, and the other “hacktivists” we associated with online.”

He raised his eyebrow at the word “hacktivist,” but she gave him a _don’t even ask_ look and continued, “When we moved here I became more of a trivia night at the local dive bar kind of girl.”

He nodded, “I can see that.”

“But I spent pretty much all of my time working so I didn’t get out much.”

“Did you like your job?” He must have seen the hesitation on her face, because he added, “You don’t have to lie just because you worked for my family.”

“For the most part I loved my job. Sometimes I just wonder what I could have done if I wouldn’t have made such a safe decision to work IT.” She paused for a second. “I guess I’m sort of figuring it out now.”

He laughed dryly, “This certainly isn’t safe.”

“No, but I like having more of a challenge than just removing viruses from reckless employees’ computers.” She pointed her spoon at him, “Which I could do in my sleep.”

A small smile curved the corners of his mouth, “I believe it.”

They ate in silence for a few minutes, passing the ice cream carton back and forth between them before the lack of sleep finally took over and she couldn’t keep from yawning a huge, _split your entire face open_ , yawn.

“I’m assuming you won’t be interested in a run in the morning?” Oliver asked, looking at her in amusement.

“It is the morning,” she pointed out. “Are you planning on just rolling into the next day without any sleep?”

“I don’t sleep very much.”

~~Unless he was sleeping with her.~~

“Apparently.”

“Besides, I think my Mom is expecting me for brunch with some old friends tomorrow—err today.”

“You sound thrilled about that.”

The smile he gave her was clearly fake. “I love brunch, love spending time with people who ask prodding questions but don’t actually care about the answers.”

She offered him a look of sympathy and he continued.

“You know, it wasn’t always bad on the island. Sometimes, when I didn’t feel lost, I felt free. Those are the days I miss, the days I felt free from all the pressure and expectations.”

He paused and she could tell he was contemplating what he wanted to say next so she just waited quietly for him to continue.

“I know I can’t run from it all forever, but at the same time, I can’t be the person that they want me to be and fulfill my father’s wishes. When I decided to come home, I thought I had every part of my plan carefully figured out but I hadn’t considered how hard it would be to reconnect with my family while also keeping so many secrets from them.”  

She ignored the phrase “ _when I decided to come home_.” There was no way she was getting an explanation for that.

“You’ll figure it out,” she reassured him. “Eventually the list is going to be all crossed off, and you don’t want to burn all your bridges in the meantime. If you don’t want to answer questions, just ask _them_ questions. Most people like to talk about themselves, and showing an interest will go a long way in letting your family know you still care about them.”

He sighed, “You’re right. Thank you.”

“Pretty sure those are two phrases that you don’t use very often,” she teased. “Does that mean you’ll sneak me out some leftovers?”

“I will do my best,” he promised.

* * *

 

“You’re a little later than you said you would be,” Felicity commented jokingly, a week after they had apprehended the count, when Oliver handed her a container containing breakfast for the next morning. They had settled into a routine of him bringing her leftovers a few times a week of whatever Raisa had made for breakfast when he swung by in the evening so she would have something to eat the next morning when she woke up. It sure beat coffee and cereal day in and day out, which had pretty much been her staple before she became friends with a billionaire with a cooking staff.

“My bodyguard is getting harder to evade,” he grumbled.

She snorted, “You have a bodyguard? Laying on the “I’m a helpless idiot” cover a little thick maybe?”

“It’s for my mother’s sake. She insisted after I was---“ he made air quotes, “’kidnapped by the Hood’ when I first got home.”

“Ahhh I see,” she nodded and stood up to put her food in the fridge. Right next to a bag of Oliver’s blood. Gross. She would definitely be taking this up to her own fridge upstairs later.  

“He’s a good guy, and I actually don’t have anything against him personally, his presence just tends to cause complications.”

“Have you thought about telling him that you’re the vigilante so then he can just put a show on for your mom but also leave you alone?”

Oliver shot her a look and she threw her hands up defensively, “Just a suggestion. No reason to take it.”

“I’ll think about it. Maybe. Anyway, there are more important things to be focusing on because Laurel called last night and needs help.”

She heard him start to hit one of the training dummies behind her as she settled back into her chair.

“Called you or called the vigilante?”

“The vigilante. We discussed this already. As Oliver Queen is the reason that her sister is dead, she does not consider him good for anything but ruining lives,” he grunted. “A point she has made clear to me on more than one occasion.”  

She spun around in her chair, “You killed her sister?”

He paused and sighed. “Inadvertently. She was on the yacht with me.”

Her eyes widened, “Oh. I’m going to assume that that’s a long story that you’re not interested in telling.”

He had given her small bits and pieces of himself ever since she had told him that she was someone who he could open up to, but many of her questions got brushed away with “it’s a long story.” And that was okay; she knew that he needed to come to trust her in his own time with those long stories. 

“The main point is that I was a jerk and an idiot and I’m trying to make up for it now.”  He slammed his fist into the dummy. “Cyrus Vance was just released from prison on a technicality and she needs us to find something that will put him back behind bars.”

“Is he on your list?

“No.”

“Is evidence gathering for an attorney under our jurisdiction? Shouldn’t the police be taking care of this?”

“I did it for you and the police are about as interested in this case as they were with yours.”

“Okay, so we’re on it. What kind of dastardly deeds is this Vance guy into?” 

“The better question would be: what isn’t he into?”

She cringed, “I’m going to get some searches running and see what sort of lead we might be able to track down.”

“Okay.” He picked up some bamboo sticks. “While they’re running do you want to fight?”

She held up her fists and pretended to box. “You sure you want to mess around with me? ... In a non-sexual way,” she added hastily, turning her chair back to start typing and hide her reddening cheeks.

“I think I can handle you.”

She jumped at the sound of his voice right over her shoulder but regained her composure as quickly as possible to finish setting up the search before slowly swiveling back around.

What was going on between them as of late? Honestly, she wasn’t sure. She figured that after all the time they had spent together they could be considered friends, which she was grateful for, but lately it felt like there was something else…. simmering. Lingering looks and casual touches that lasted just a little too long. It was entirely plausible that she was imagining it, and there were so many logistical issues to them ever having anything between them, primarily revolving around the fact that she was a legally dead person, not to mention that she still didn’t have closure on Cooper…. So yeah. There was nothing going on between them and the turn that this interaction had just taken was throwing her for a bit of a loop.

“Hand me a stick.” She held out her hand and he reached to pull her up from her chair and give her one of the bamboo sticks.

Following him over to the mat, she planted her feet and raised her stick, “Ready?”

“Remember to vary the speed of your attacks to keep your opponent guessing.”

She nodded and they began to spar. This was a part of her training that she had come to enjoy, especially now that she wasn’t a total disaster at it. Exercise had never been fun for her, but she realized now that it was because she just wasn’t really an elliptical girl. This, this was fun. If her gym had started a bamboo stick fighting class, she might have actually stuck to her New Year’s resolution one year.  

“Oliver, you’re going easy on me,” she complained when she easily deflected one of his strikes. 

“If I was actually trying, I would have you on your back in five seconds and this would no longer be a training exercise,” he argued.  

She raised a teasing eyebrow, “Oh rea---“

The next thing she knew she was, in fact, lying on the ground, with his stick across her neck and his sweaty body hovering right over top of her. Their eyes locked and it was like one of those movie moments, unsurprising as her life had basically become some wild movie plot as of late, and if things went as they typically did in the movies----

He tossed his stick to the side and tilted his head in closer, and closer, and… he was waiting for her. No, no, no he couldn’t do this to her. She didn’t know what she should do, what she wanted to do. This had all happened so suddenly and she wasn’t prepared. She needed him to just go for it.

And now too much time had passed and they were just awkwardly staring into each other’s eyes and this wasn’t a movie moment at all.

So, ignoring the protesting thoughts pounding in her brain, she went for it.

And then they were kissing and he was lifting her up off the ground and her legs were wrapping around his waist. His hands felt so good trailing up under her shirt on her bare back; nothing like the uncomfortable chill she had felt at his touch all those weeks ago. Her body was warm from more than just the exercise and every nerve in her body was flooding with longing. This wasn’t like when he had held her while she battled her nightmares, which was comforting and compassionate, this was motivated by a desire… for _her_. It was surprising and something she didn’t think she would ever get to feel again.  All the reasons why this wasn’t a good idea that had been running through her brain a few minutes ago just disappeared as he backed them into a column and dropped his kisses to her neck. She fumbled around for the hem of his shirt and sighed in frustration. He always trained with his shirt off, what had happened this morning?

She had given up on trying to take it off and had just shoved her hands up his shirt, tracing over the scars on his back with her fingertips, when a beeping noise broke through the fog in her brain.

“What was that?” Oliver muttered into her neck, his hips still rocking against her and making it really difficult to remember what that beeping noise might mean.  

The computer.

Her computer.

Running the searches on Vance.

An awful, terrible man.

A much more pressing matter than making out with Oliver.

Her hands dropped from his back and she put them on his chest to nudge him away, “Oliver, I need to check the computer. My searches are finished.”

He quickly put her down and backed away, “Right. You should check that.”

She scurried over to her computer, adjusting her shirt on the way, and scanned the screen.

“Uhh… so his former lawyer, George Wolfman, was just found dead in his home. That’s probably a good thing to look into. I have his address right here.”

“Alright, suit up and let’s go.”

“You want me to come with you?” she asked, keeping her eyes glued to the screen.

“Yeah, I want back up on this since we have no idea what to expect. You wanted to start getting out there more, right?”

Oh, she did. The problem was that she was suddenly nervous about what those kisses had meant to him and she wondered how she could behave normally while at the same time knowing she might have to disappoint him. Because now that she was thinking more clearly again, she remembered that what had just transpired was so not supposed to be happening. She wasn’t the love interest in this movie. She was the sidekick--- no, not the sidekick, the partner in crime. So she would go with him, she just needed to make sure that her head was screwed on straight.

Hopefully, when the blood returned to his brain, he would come to the same conclusion that she had and she wouldn’t have to explain all the reasons why they couldn’t be resuming anything when they got back from their investigation. Except for finding out what had happened to Cooper. It was time to resume that.


	9. Chapter 8

_“We’re turning left up here on Willow St.” Felicity directed over the comms link and he watched as she started to tilt her body to lean into the turn._

_He accelerated to close the distance between them as they turned onto the small side street. Going after Vance was a priority but he couldn’t help but admit to being a little disappointed that things had gotten disrupted between them earlier._

_It had been a spur of the moment decision when he had Felicity pinned down during their duel to take her in his arms and feel the way she melted under the heat of his touch._

_Feel the way her soft lips felt pressing into his._

_Forget the world for just a minute._

_Despite all of his fears over what getting close to her could mean, his desire to be vulnerable with someone for the first time in a long time overtook him when she had looked into his eyes. Unlike with everyone else in his life, when she looked at him, he knew she was seeing the real him. And only him. Not the mistakes he made in the past. Not the expectations he was supposed to live up to._

_It was the most refreshing feeling in the world._

_For the two months since she had crashed so unexpectedly into his life, they had slowly been moving towards each other without him even realizing it. There had been a moment of hesitation when he went to kiss her because he worried about overstepping things and that she was still grieving too much, but she had closed the rest of the distance. He had given up so much for his crusade and he thought it would mean being alone, but now he wasn’t so sure that was the case. Maybe the universe owed him one. She was making strides in her training and, while he still felt responsible for her safety, he didn’t have quite that same fear anymore that getting attached would be dangerous. Maybe it was finally time for him to emotionally leave the island._

_“Okay so the house is down this long driveway,” Felicity’s voice crackled into his thoughts. “Where should we stow the bikes to move in?”_

_But first they had a criminal to catch._

The plan was to see what they could find at the lawyer’s house that could lead them to Cyrus Vance. She strongly suspected they would find more than just a clue to his whereabouts though. Then, they would obtain whatever evidence they could on him to present to Laurel so she could prepare a case for him to be taken back into custody.

“So we’re not just going to stick an arrow in him?” she had asked while they were riding over.

“Killing isn’t my opening move,” he reminded her. “And it shouldn’t be necessary. There’s a reason why he was caught the first time. He’s proud of his conquests and doesn’t hide behind his wealth or company like the people on the list. If we’re lucky, he’ll incriminate himself and we can get it on audio.”

“Doesn’t seem too hard.”

“Yeah, but first we have to find him and not get killed in the process,” he grumbled. “He’s not likely to be holed up alone without protection.”

“Your optimism is contagious,” she had quipped, before focusing back on navigating them.

Now they had arrived at the long winding driveway that would lead them back to Cyrus’ former lawyer’s house where she had a feeling Cyrus was now planning on operating from. They stowed their motorcycles in an easily accessible, yet concealed spot, and started inching their way towards the house under the cover of the shadows from the forested area.

The moment the house came into view she also spotted all of the men surrounding it.

“That’s a lot of guys to guard an empty house. $100 bucks says Vance is there,” she commented.

“I agree. Which means we need to get in close enough to see where the best place for me to shoot the transmitter arrow is.”

“While not getting caught.”  

He glanced over at her, “We’re going to get caught. Let’s just put them down first before they can get a shot at us.”

She took a deep breath, “Okay.”

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” He put a hand on her shoulder. “You can stay back if you need to. Now that I’ve seen what we’re up against, I’m pretty sure I should be able to handle it alone.”

She bit her lip and contemplated what she should do. On one hand, she really wanted to put her training to use. On the other, she suddenly wasn’t sure she had enough training yet. It wasn’t like there was some magic insta-vigilante potion that she could be chugging like a protein shake. The other night at the detention center she had gotten super lucky, there were no guarantees for today.

An idea for a compromise popped into her head and she decided to roll with it.

“Okay, but you can be a lot more efficient if you know what’s going on around the house, right?” She reached back and pulled her tablet out of its case in her quiver. “A nice place like this has got to have some sort of security system with cameras. The question is whether or not they’ve been disabled…. and we’re in luck. No audio, so you’re still going to have to get that transmitter arrow in, but I can tell you that Vance is currently talking to a woman on the back deck. Oooh whatever they’re having for dinner looks delicious. Anyway, I’ll keep you posted if he moves and if you need back-up, just let me know.”

Oliver shook his head in amazement, “You were able to get right into his security cameras.”

She shrugged, “Well, yeah. I mean we were in close range, which helped, but then it wasn’t too hard. They’re on a wireless system so that if there’s an alarm, the security company can access the feed. I just had to break into the line of communication.”

“You’re remarkable.”

The look on his face could probably be described as mild adoration, and that scared her. What had happened earlier might have been more to him than an adrenaline induced make-out.

~~It had been more to her too.~~

In what world would she even think of rejecting a romance with Oliver Queen?

Oh yeah, in the one that she was currently residing in as a legally _dead_ woman.

It made her heart sink.

She hadn't considered the cost of forming a connection with him. It wasn’t going to put anyone in danger like he had feared, but it might make them want something that they couldn't have. Her time of grieving Cooper seemed to be coming to an end and now there was just the loneliness, a desire to have someone fill that place in her life, but she didn’t see how her present circumstances could allow for that.

She dipped her head. “Thank you for remarking on it.”

Looking back up at him, she advised, “You should get going. Be careful.”

She watched as he jogged in the direction of the house, sending the men he encountered to the ground effortlessly. It was hard to believe that there was ever a time when he was just a normal guy and not some real life superhero. She almost had to remind herself she wasn’t watching a movie and that this was really happening. Instinctively, she stepped backwards into the tree line a little bit further at that thought. It wasn’t that she was afraid of being spotted by one of the big burly guys, she was more afraid that if one of them came after her, Oliver would want to protect her and that could derail what they came here to do.

When he disappeared around the back of the house all she could do was nervously rock back and forth on her heels and wait. She kept an eye on the camera feed for the back deck, Vance and his lady friend were still sipping wine, but she wasn’t able to see Oliver. Which could be a good thing, stealth was important to the success of this operation.

“Hey Oliver?” she asked, opening their comms link back up and being greeted by the sound of a volley of bullets. She paused for a second and when he didn’t respond, asked, “Are you okay?”

She heard what she thought was the sound of bones cracking and she cringed. More seconds passed without response and she started to worry that she was going to have to go after him. Her bow felt heavy in her hands at the thought of having to potentially use it to shoot someone and her heart raced. Finally, just as she was about to start moving towards the house, his voice filled her ears and she exhaled in relief.

“Hey, I’m fine. I’m on my way back to you now. I just had to be quiet, the gunfire drew their attention.”

“Are all of your limbs still intact?”

“Yes?”

“I just heard an awful crunching noise and I…”

“Rest assured, that was the other guy. Meet me at the bikes, we have to get moving.”

She supposed it made her feel better that someone other than him was in serious pain or dead?

The whole "us versus them" thing was still taking some time to get used to, but there was no time to dwell on that.

Slipping her tablet back into her quiver, she jogged over to where they had stowed their motorcycles and got hers running. Oliver appeared a few seconds later, and they sped back to the foundry.

* * *

 

While they were walking down the stairs she spoke up, “I didn’t even ask, did you get what you needed?”

He pushed the button on the device in his hands and it played the sound bite that the transmitter arrow had recorded.

What she presumed was Cyrus Vance’s voice filled the stairwell, _“With The Count off the game board, the Triad weakened, and Bertinelli’s men mysteriously dropping like flies, there’s a power vacuum in this city. One that I’m prepared to fill with my… expertise.”_

“That alone should be enough to give the police a reason to go after him. Organizing all the major crime units in the city would be disastrous,” she commented, falling silent when another voice came over the recording.

 _“How do you plan on earning their respect?”_ A woman asked.

_“It’s simple. One thing that I learned in prison is that if you want respect, you find the biggest guy and you put him down. Who’s the biggest guy in Starling City right now my dear?”_

The sound became a bit fuzzy and she had a suspicion that Vance had found the arrow.

_“I think we’ve found him.”_

The audio cut out and she glanced over at Oliver. “You might want to cut that last bit out. The police would probably love to save some time and task force budget and just have the two of you take each other out.”

Oliver raised his eyebrows and shrugged, “Can’t tamper with evidence.”

She rolled her eyes, “Since when have you cared about following the letter of the law, mister I-broke-a-murderer-out-of-prison?”

A moment too late, she realized that she was flirting, which was not a good set-up for the next conversation they needed to have.

“A _falsely accused_ murderer,” he pointed out. “And I’ll let Laurel decide how best to use what we got. She’s good at her job.”

“Right, you should probably arrange a meet up with her. I’m going to go get ready for bed, if that’s all for tonight?” she asked, putting her bow in its case and hoping to put off talking about their _kissing that shouldn’t have happened_ just a little bit longer.

He walked up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder, “You don’t think we should talk about earlier?”

He was so close to her. She knew if she took a fraction of a step backwards she would be pressed up against his chest.

She swallowed and twisted her head to look up at him, “Oh yeah. I’m glad you mentioned that…”

A lie.

Turning around and putting a little distance between them, she squared her shoulders resolutely. This was what was best for him. Whatever he might feel for her, he would get over it.

“I think we can both agree that it was a mistake.”

His face fell and, for the first time since she had met him, he wasn’t doing a very good job of concealing his emotions.

There was no turning back now though, so she plowed on, “I mean, don’t get me wrong, it was amazing and I’m sure whatever would have transpired should we not have been interrupted would have been even more amazing but that’s not the point. Besides the fact that I just recently held my murdered boyfriend in my arms, and I still haven’t fully moved past that, can you honestly say that there is any way that turning our relationship into something more than it already is will work out okay? Or have you forgotten that I’m technically dead?”

She took a deep breath. Now was not the time to get upset. It was her fault for kissing him back, she didn’t want him to think she was angry with him.

“It might seem to you that you’re going to be the Starling City vigilante forever, but there’s going to come a day when you’ve crossed every name off of that list and you’ve fulfilled your mission. You can still have a normal life. Because of my circumstances, I can’t.”

At least not here she couldn’t. She was hoping that by the time Oliver had crossed off every name on his list, she would have the closure she needed on what happened with Cooper and that it would be safe enough for her to move far away and set up a new identity for herself. It would be a chance to start over, but it would also mean having to forget about Oliver.

She noticed that she was still standing too close to him. He could easily reach out for her and her resolve might disappear. Stepping backwards to lean up against the counter, she crossed her arms over her chest.

“I can’t be the person that you take on dates, or introduce to your family, or have any sort of future with because no one can know that I still exist except for you. I refuse to be the one to pull you so far away from your life as Oliver Queen. I know it was just a kiss, and maybe I’m jumping to conclusions that you had never intended, but I just needed to get this out before I let it become more than just a kiss.”

He had listened to her quietly and she braced herself for his response. A part of her was hoping that he would say that she _was_ jumping to conclusions. That he didn’t feel for her that way, had no intentions of attempting some sort of romantic relationship with her, and that’s what he had wanted to discuss. The other part of her knew that that would still be hard to hear. 

“Felicity…” he began. “I thought that living this life, having all these secrets, meant that I would have to be alone, and I was prepared to make that sacrifice. Having you come into my life though, it’s changed things.”

He so wasn’t getting what she was trying to say. 

She stepped closer to him, “I don’t want you to be alone; I just want you to understand why you need to be with someone who won’t pull you farther into your secrets and that can’t be me. Everything about us would have to be a secret.”

He opened his mouth to respond but she wasn’t finished yet, “You let me see the real you and it’s not something to be afraid of. Someone who cares about you will want to understand what you’ve been through. You obviously still have feelings for Laurel, you answer to her every beck and call, why don’t you just open up to her?”

“Laurel is with Tommy now.”

She clasped her hands. “Oh. I’m sorry, that must be awkward.”

He shook his head, “It’s not. At first I was jealous, but now I’m happy for them. You’re right, I still care about Laurel and I would do almost anything for her because I feel like I have to make things right after all the pain I put in her life by being selfish and careless.”

She noticed that he was rubbing his fingers together in that tick he always had when he was nervous or uncomfortable and itching to pick up his bow.

He was silent for a few moments, like he was choosing his words carefully, before continuing, “When I first got back, I thought that I still loved her but now I can see that it was just a desire to hold on to some small part of the person that existed before those five years burned away so much of me and shaped me into who I am now. I don’t want to hold onto that anymore, I want to move on. I thought that was what you wanted too, but I guess not.”

“Oliver…”

“Sure, we might not be able to have a normal relationship, but that doesn’t mean that it wouldn’t mean anything.” There was still the smallest glimmer of hope in his voice and she closed her eyes so she wouldn’t have to look at him.

In all her wildest dreams she hadn’t expected to be capable of breaking his heart. When she first met him he had been an impenetrable fortress, seemingly incapable of being hurt. She had wanted them to help each other move on from the pain they had experienced, just not… _together_ together.  

Well, actually, she did want that, or at least she would when she had proper closure on Cooper, but it didn’t matter what she wanted. She was standing behind everything she’d said because it was the reality check they both needed.

“I’m sorry Oliver.”

When her eyes opened again, his face had returned to that emotionless, blank wall that was so characteristically him and it was like that moment of vulnerability had never even happened. It was hard to see the walls that she had finally started to break down go back up in an instant, especially knowing that it was her fault, but she supposed she couldn’t blame him for reacting this way in the moment.

“I’m going to call Laurel and arrange a meet. Have you had any success with tracking down what Cooper was up to?”

And just like that, it was business as usual. For once, she was grateful for his ability to solely focus on the mission. It would make things easier for both of them.

She shook her head, “I’ve hit a dead end because I need to access the Merlyn Global server and their security is too good to be able to access it indirectly. Any chance we can break in?”

“Of course. Access some plans of the building and tomorrow we’ll make a plan. Thank you for your help earlier. Goodnight.”

With that, he turned and left her standing alone, wishing more than anything that she felt like she was able to make a different choice. Things had been so nice earlier when her brain had been shut off by the feeling of his body pressed into hers. In that moment things had been so right. She wanted to stomp her foot and declare that it was “ _so unfair!_ ” like when she was young and her mom had told her she couldn’t go to space camp.

She knew that wouldn’t make her feel better though, so she decided to take a page from Oliver’s book. Stripping off her jacket, she picked up the hammer that was lying across the large tire. She tested the weight of it in her hand, surprised at how much lighter it felt than she thought it would be. That could probably be partially attributed to her increasing strength, and partially to the frustration flowing through her veins. When she hoisted it overhead and sent it slamming into the rubber, the sound echoing in the empty basement, she felt the tiniest bit of that frustration simmer away. Again and again she crashed the hammer down until her arms were burning and tears stung at her eyes.

She was so angry. Angry that Cooper had been taken from her. Angry that she wasn’t free to choose what she wanted for her life because she had been made a pawn in someone’s twisted game. Someone whose identity she didn’t even know, leaving her with nowhere to direct her anger except for a giant, stupid tire.

Dropping the hammer to the ground, she brushed the tears from her eyes and walked over to sink into her chair.

She thought that she had accepted her fate. Thought that she was making the best of it, and was seeing all the positives in her crazy new life, but tonight had sent her emotions spilling over the edge all over again. It wasn’t just about Oliver, but right now he was the thing she wanted the most and couldn’t have. Knowing that he wanted her made things so much worse. That story she had crafted in her subconscious of them being two people with secrets, saving the city and falling in love, wasn’t just some fantasy, but a reality just a little too far out of reach.

She had a feeling that if she hadn’t totally ruined her chances, if Oliver ever tried to get her to change her mind, she would give in. Just about every bit of her willpower had been used up today, but she couldn’t allow herself to make such a selfish decision. Not after everything he’d already done for her.  

Which was why she needed to focus on the mission, put a little space between them and not let her mind wander to that place… where they were doing so much more than just kissing.

Standing up from her chair, she walked over to the stairs and began to climb up to her room. With one last look over her shoulder at where they had been wrapped up in each other’s arms earlier, she sighed sadly.

What kind of torture had she signed herself up for?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well guys, it's tagged "slow burn" for a reason. Sorry to be such a tease with that last chapter, but I think the payoff will be worth it in the end if you stick with me :)


	10. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I know last week's chapter was a bit of a rough one but I was happy to see that based on your comments you guys understood where Felicity was coming from. I know I didn't get a chance to reply to all of you because I had a crazy busy week but I did read all of them and I really appreciate your feedback :) This chapter has some more action to give you a little break from all the heavy emotional stuff, so enjoy....

_Oliver saw Laurel arrive on the roof and he stepped into view._

_“The evidence you’ll need to assemble your case against Cyrus Vance.” He extended the envelope containing the recording to her._

_She took it from his hand, “Thank you.”_

_“Vance is a dangerous man, be careful,” he cautioned, turning to leave her._

_“I will,” she promised to his retreating back. “But I’m also not afraid to do what’s necessary to make sure he can’t hurt anyone else--- Hey are you okay?”_

_He didn’t turn to look at her, “What?”_

_“I don’t know… there just seems to be more of a slump to your shoulders tonight.”_

_“Something just didn’t go the way I was hoping,” he answered simply._

_“You win some, you lose some. True for lawyers and vigilantes apparently. But hey, crime is at an all-time low since you came to town, so I wouldn’t get too discouraged.”_

_He wished it was as simple of that. Wished his disappointment revolved around a name on the list, a scummy billionaire instead of a babbling blonde._

_He had been so sure that she felt the same way he did, her rejection had been a slap in the face. At first, the shallow part of him took a hit. It wasn’t often that Oliver Queen was turned down._

_Underneath that though, it hurt because he needed her. And he wasn’t supposed to need anyone. That was never a part of his carefully laid plans and, even when he changed things to save her, it had never been his intention to fall for her. She was supposed to be a partner, nothing more. His every instinct told him that he was dangerous, that he had dragged her into a dangerous world and he couldn’t make things worse by adding emotions to the mix. He had resisted her first attempts to get him to open up to her but she had slowly worn him down. He had realized that even if she couldn’t fully understand half of what he had been through, she knew what it was like to go through a crucible because she was in the middle of hers. It still wasn’t easy to be honest and vulnerable, but it was easier with her._

_At least it had been._

_He didn’t know how they could go back to how things were before. Before he had taken a chance at having something more and she told him they couldn’t have it._

_The irony was that she thought she would be a bad thing for him, when really she deserved someone so much better than him. She worried that she would pull him too far into his world of secrets, but the truth was that she was an anchor keeping him from slipping all the way into the darkness that loomed over him. She had shown him the parts of himself that were still human. It gave him hope that he wasn’t too far gone to reconnect with his family and friends. But now he was going to have to let her push him away and hope that his trained ability to shut off his emotions wouldn’t fail him. They had too much to accomplish to not be able to work together because he had made a mistake._

 “Okay so, here are the plans for the Merlyn Global building.” Felicity pointed at the images on her computer screen. “And here is the server room. If you can just help me get in, I should have no trouble getting whatever I can on Cooper. I’ve designed an algorithm to sort through anything with his name, his coding fingerprints, or his face on security footage.”

She heard him make an impressed sound and she bit her lip to hide her smile. Things had been awkward at first when he came in that afternoon but they had been able to focus on what they needed to do and not the lingering tension from their conversation last night.

“Were you able to get information on what kind of security set up there is?” Oliver asked, leaning in over her shoulder. “The last time I was in there, I think I was 7, and Tommy and I were playing Legos in a conference room while our fathers had a meeting.”

She clicked a button and the security cameras were highlighted.

“I should be able to temporarily loop the footage in this wing of the building so those won’t be an issue, the bigger problem will be any guards surveilling the building. How do you propose getting inside?”

He pointed at a section on the plan, “Zoom in. The maintenance entrance should allow us access to this service elevator. Going through the elevator shaft will keep us out of sight until we get to the top.”

“How do we get into a locked entrance though?”

“I’ll take care of that.”

“Okay, but we can definitely do this tonight, right?”

She was anxious to start getting answers to the millions of questions ricocheting around her brain and this was her last hope of finding them.

“Yea---“

He was cut off by the sound of their burner phone ringing. Picking it up, she saw that it was Laurel calling and she handed it over to him.

“Laurel?”

From the expression on his face, she could tell that something was wrong. She started to lift her hand to rest on his arm, but dropped it quickly when she became aware of what she was doing. She hadn’t fully realized the habits they had fallen into over the past couple of weeks, but there were lines that they couldn’t cross anymore if they needed to compartmentalize.

He put the phone down on the counter, “He has her.”

“What? Who?” Her hand started moving again of its own volition and she dropped it to her side, her fingers rubbing together nervously in that mannerism she had picked up from him.

“Vance. He somehow found out that she was in contact with the vigilante and he’s using her as bait to draw me out. She’s being held at the house.”

She hadn’t had an opportunity to truly thank Laurel for what she had done to help her, and while she would never wish for Laurel to be in this position, this was her chance.

She closed down the building plans on her screen. “Okay, let me go suit up.”

He grabbed her wrist as she turned to go upstairs, and she looked up at him. His eyes were dark blue pools of intensity and she realized as his gaze locked on hers that this was the first time they had made eye contact since he had gotten there today. It made her breath hitch and she waited for him to speak, to break the spell.

“I might need your help to do this.”

She furrowed her brow, “That’s why I’m coming with you…”

“I mean that I might need you to engage. The mansion is heavily fortified and just getting into the proximity yesterday meant having to go through several men.”  

Realization of what he meant hit her. She might have to defend herself, and protect him, so that he could get to Laurel. Ever since that night at the detention center, the thought of running into a fight left her feeling paralyzed. In the moment it had been pure adrenaline, but when she had time to replay the scene in her head, all she could do was dwell on how wrong it could have gone. It was one thing to train and know the right moves, it was another thing altogether to have someone standing in front of you that you have to use those moves on if you want to survive.

She was going to have to face those fears eventually, and now seemed like a pretty crucial time to do so.

“I can do it,” she assured him.

“I know you can. I just wanted to make sure you knew,” he replied, giving her wrist a faint, reassuring squeeze before dropping it.

It was exactly the confidence boost she needed.

“I can do it,” she repeated, heading for the stairs.

* * *

 

“Can you get into the cameras again and figure out where she’s being held?” Oliver asked when they arrived at the mansion.

She pulled her tablet out, “It pains me that you even have to ask.”

Once she was in, she scanned the different camera streams and found what they were looking for.

“He has her in what looks like a dining room, so I’m going to say they’re probably on the first floor,” she reported. Without audio she couldn’t tell what Vance was saying to her, but Laurel looked terrified. They needed to get to her as soon as possible.

“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. I’ll go down there first and take out as many of the perimeter guards as possible. Come down after me and go through the west entrance to the house. I’ll go in through the east so we have eyes on both sides. If you find her first, let me know, and I’ll get to you as quickly as I can. Don’t engage Vance unless you absolutely have to, but also don’t be afraid to do what’s necessary.”

She nodded, “Okay.”

“I’ll let you know when it’s clear to move in closer to the house,” he directed as he raised his bow and slipped off in the direction of the mansion.

After a few minutes of staying out of sight and giving herself a silent pep talk, she heard Oliver’s voice over the coms.

“You’re up.”

With her tablet securely locked into her quiver and her bow tightly clasped in her hands, she ran in the shadows toward the direction of the house. Oliver had done his job and she cringed inwardly as she swerved around a fallen body.

She found a door that Oliver had broken the lock on for her and quietly slipped inside the house. Her heartbeat echoed so loudly in her ears that she half expected someone to discover her any minute. Taking a second to calm herself, she started moving toward the heart of the house, peering into the rooms that she passed. When she heard Cyrus Vance’s voice she paused and glued herself to the wall.

“I know from a reliable source that the vigilante always carries 24 arrows and flechettes. I wonder what will happen when he encounters my 25th man?”

She almost laughed. Oliver was constantly drilling into her that he was the weapon, that he didn’t need to rely on the bow, and that she needed to have that mindset too. Vance was a fool if he thought he could beat him by outnumbering his arrows with men.

Laurel replied to him but it was quiet and indiscernible.

Felicity peeked around the corner and saw that she was still sitting at the dining room table, her hands bound and tears streaking her face. It was unimaginable how terrifying it must be for her to be in that position. She had gotten the sense that Laurel was a girl who could take care of herself, but that didn’t count for much when you had been kidnapped by a lunatic. 

Out of the corner of her eye she could see Oliver in the hallway on the other side of the dining room. Sure enough, he was out of arrows. When she noticed the guard come up behind him, she slipped an arrow out of her quiver and prepared herself to act in case he needed her help.

Vance turned and spotted the guard escorting Oliver into the room and she tried to decide who would be the better person to try to get a hit on. Vance was closer, but if she shot at him, there was a chance she would hit Laurel if she missed. If she aimed for the guard, Oliver had better reflexes and was in a position where he could duck. At least she hoped.

Stepping out into the room, she got the arrow off before the guard had time to react to seeing her. She only had a second to breathe a sigh of relief that it landed in his shoulder, sending his gun clattering to the floor, instead of in Oliver, before Vance was turning to her.

“Wha—“

_Wham!_

“Bet you didn’t see that coming,” she muttered as she cut him off.

She’s not sure who was more surprised, her or Oliver, when her bow made contact with Vance’s head reflexively. He collapsed to the floor and it took them all a second to break out of the trance that her unexpected attack had put them in.

Oliver ran over to Laurel and, after being freed from the chair she was tied to, she crumpled gratefully into his arms.

“Are you okay?” Oliver asked Laurel, his voice disguised by his modulator.

She nodded, lifting a hand to brush away her tears.

Amidst the chaos they hadn’t noticed the sound of sirens approaching in the distance. Detective Lance must be on an all-out search for his daughter.

Meanwhile, Felicity stood over Vance’s body, panic flooding her. He wasn’t dead, right? The noise of sirens grew louder and it took her back to that night where she had been taken away from the police for murdering Cooper. Only this time she would be guilty. Her best efforts to convince herself that this wasn’t the same situation were failing to break through the accusing words flying through her head that she had heard all those weeks ago from the police, the judge, the prosecuting attorney, the jury….

She numbly realized that Oliver was tugging on her arm.

“C’mon, we have to go. The police are going to be here any second.”

Good. They could take her back to jail, where apparently she belonged.

He must have somehow sensed what was going on in her head because he dropped to his knees and pulled her down, moving her hand over Vance’s pulse.

“Hey. He’s not dead, okay? You’re pretty strong, but not enough to kill someone with that kind of hit over the head. He’s going to jail where _he_ belongs. What you did saved Laurel,” he reassured her.

Snapping out of her haze, she nodded and stood up to run out of the house with Oliver. In their haste, they missed the curious gaze that Laurel was sending in their direction.

They avoided the police as they made it back to where they had stowed their motorcycles. When they were riding away, she heard Oliver’s voice over the coms.

“Hey if you’re feeling alright and have what you need, do you still want to go to Merlyn Global tonight? It’s not too late…”

She did. She needed to keep busy so that she wouldn’t be stuck at the foundry alone and doing nothing. Or worse, with Oliver and her unreliable emotions. What had transpired with Vance had shaken her up, but she had calmed down enough to assess the situation rationally. When she had signed up to live this life with Oliver she knew what it required of him and henceforth what it would require of her.

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

Oliver made a sharp turn and she followed him across the city to the Merlyn Global headquarters, a tall, sleek building not unlike the Queen Consolidated building she had spent so many hours at. There were days that she missed her job, missed the simplicity of it, the routine, the lack of physical pain it caused (besides a stiff neck every once in awhile), but for the most part, the sense of purpose she felt in helping Oliver outweighed everything she missed about her old job. She wondered what it would be like if she could’ve had the option to have it all like Oliver did. To live her normal life during the day and fight for the city at night. At the same time though, she saw the toll it took on Oliver, he wasn’t able to do both very well and it was usually his “normal life” that paid the price. Which was exactly why she couldn’t pull him farther from that, from the people who needed him to still be their Oliver, no matter how much she wished things could be different.

They parked their bikes and crept in the direction of the maintenance entrance. When they spotted an employee rolling a cart of trash out to the dumpster, Oliver whispered to her to stay back and he went after the guy. Catching him off guard, Oliver knocked him out and swiped his badge. She followed him over to the door and into the dimly lit room that was filled with spare office furniture and shelves of cleaning supplies.

“The elevator is over there,” Oliver announced, pointing over to one of the walls and walking in that direction.

“Okay, I’m going to get that security footage looping in the elevator and on the floor with the server room.” She slipped her tablet out and set to work. “Umm, just curious… how are we going to make sure that someone doesn’t try to use the elevator and crush us while we’re climbing up the shaft? I know it’s late, and we just left the overnight guy lying in the street, but still…”

“I guess we’ll just have to be quick,” he replied seriously and she looked up from her tablet to shoot him a look.

He tilted his head, “Really? Genius that you are, you don’t know how to get an elevator stuck in between floors?”

“Well I’m sure I could figure it out---why do you know how?”

“Turns out a stuck elevator is a great place to make out with the summer interns when you get dragged to work with your dad,” he muttered, ducking his head a little shamefully, and she stifled a laugh as they entered the elevator. She found the contrast between the boy he was and the man that she knew to be amusing. There’s no way he could have imagined when he was sneaking girls off to the elevator that one day he would be climbing up an elevator shaft dressed like Robin Hood to break her, who probably wasn’t much different from those interns when she was their age, into a server room so she could scrub the company’s records for information on her murdered boyfriend.

Let’s be real, no one could imagine a scenario like that. 

Inside the elevator he pressed the button for the fifth floor, but on the way up he pushed the doors open a crack in between floors and it stopped abruptly. He reached up and opened the hatch on the ceiling of the car and climbed through.

“Hand me your bow,” he instructed and she held it up to him before letting herself be pulled up onto the top of the car.

She tilted her head up at the long stretch of narrow metal bars, which she supposed could technically be considered a ladder, that they were going to have to climb and she took a deep breath. Her fear of heights was lessening but the sight still made her stomach spin and she could only imagine what the expression on her face was.

“Are you okay?” Oliver asked.

“Yeah.” She swallowed, “This is just my _about to hack_ face. I look like this whenever I’m about---“ she gulped, “---about to hack.”

“Why don’t you take the lead?” he suggested and she nodded, liking the idea of having him between her and the ground.

Grabbing her bow, she started climbing slowly up the service ladder.

“Remind me again why we can’t just take the elevator like normal people… who just happen to be breaking and entering?”

“I would prefer that we not announce to whatever security is waiting for us that we’re on our way.”

“Fair enough,” she mumbled, keeping her eyes glued to the rungs she was climbing and not letting them drop to the distance that she would fall if she slipped.

A few minutes later she breathed a sigh of relief as she reached the floor containing the server room and the death climb was over.

“Can you get the door open?” Oliver asked.

“Uhhh….”

She felt him reach up and wrap an arm around her legs to steady her, “You’re not going to fall.”

Pressing her hands against the door, she surprised herself by being able to pry them far enough apart for her to slip through. When she looked down the hallway both ways she didn’t see anyone so she stepped out and pulled her tablet from her quiver.  

Oliver came up after her and they made their way down the hall to the server room, avoiding any run-ins with security, who were probably more interested in what was happening on floor 5 anyway where the elevator was currently stuck. The door was locked but she was able to crack into the electronic locking mechanism fairly easily before slipping inside.

Oliver posted himself at the entrance. “I’ll keep an eye on things out here.”

“This shouldn’t take me too long,” she assured him, plugging her tablet into the system.

She watched as the program ran its course and files were transferred to her tablet. It appeared that many of them were encrypted which was unsurprising but that would give her something to work on over the next couple of days. Honestly she was surprised that there was still so much linked to Cooper after all this time since his death, but her program was good enough to find things that had been recently “deleted” as well. A part of her was hoping that she wouldn’t find anything condemning in the files and that this would be another dead end. She knew though, that whether he was guilty of anything or not, there was a reason for Cooper’s murder and she strongly suspected that there would be a clue somewhere here.

“Uhh… Felicity? How much longer are you going to need? We might be having company soon…”

She peered at her screen. “Like 30 seconds?”

“Be ready to run as soon as it’s done.”

“Run where?” she asked, fidgeting nervously. She absolutely did not want to be chased down that terrifying ladder.

“Just follow me.”

She heard voices coming from the floor beneath them and she willed the progress bar to move faster. Finally, the notification popped up that it was done and unplugging her tablet, she flipped her hood back up and ducked out of the room. 

Oliver took off and she followed after him as the sound of footsteps running after them filled the hallway. He pulled her into a staircase and she quickly realized that they were heading for the roof.

“Umm not to question you because you’re the expert, but are you sure this is a good idea? We’re going to get trapped up here,” she pointed out as they burst through the door and were surrounded by the night sky, the lights of the city below them.

“We’re not going to get trapped,” he called back to her and she slowed a bit when she saw that he was running right for the edge. “But you’re going to have to jump.”

“Are you insane?” she yelled, careening to a halt.

“Do you trust me?”

“I just–“ She sighed, “Yes, I trust you.”

This wouldn’t be the first time she was trusting him with her life despite her brain’s protests. He told her before that there was no reason to fear heights, just falling, but jumping felt a whole lot like falling to her. Glancing behind her, she weighed her options before giving a slight nod. Because _she did_ trust him.

Stepping up to stand next to him, her toes over the edge, she closed her eyes and jumped when he told her to. For a few seconds all she could feel was the air rushing around her as she plummeted to the ground, but then she was being caught by Oliver and her descent slowed rapidly. When she opened her eyes, she saw that they were swinging from one of his zip line arrows down to the street.

“Hey, you okay?” he asked as they landed, his arms still wrapped tightly around her.

She pulled her face back from where it had been buried against his chest in relief that she hadn’t become one with the asphalt, “Yeah. Do you think they saw us? I don’t want to raise any unnecessary suspicions...”

He shook his head, “No, we stayed far enough ahead of them. They’ll most likely assume that it was a failed attempt at stealing something, because I’m sure you didn’t leave any traces in their system.”

She grinned smugly, “Of course. I’m never sloppy.”

Her grin changed to a frown, “Well… that’s not true, there was this one time in college that I almost got expelled--- but that’s not relevant. Let’s head back, I’m eager to see what I can piece together from the files I retrieved.”

This night had been filled with enough mildly terrifying experiences, she was ready to sit behind her computer for a while.   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unfortunately, I will not be posting a new chapter next Friday :( Things have gotten a little hectic with my school schedule and I need a week to get myself caught back up. After one week off though I should be able to post consistently again until the end of the story so I really appreciate your patience! I love being able to update regularly but sometimes real life gets in the way :( I will however be posting an excerpt of the chapter on my tumblr (mogirl97, same as here) so if you want to keep an eye out for that next Friday, you can :)


	11. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I'm back! Thanks for being patient with me guys as I took a week off. I got a lot of writing accomplished and we should be good to go on the regular updates through the end of the story. As always, I love to hear what you guys think and your theories, and I should have time this week to get back to replying to you :) Also, this story is so so close to 600 kudos so thanks a million for your love ❤️

_He closed the file and sat it down on his desk. “While I’m impressed with what you’ve managed to stumble upon young man, you should know that I don’t respond well to blackmail.”_

_The younger man leaned across the desk, undeterred. “I’m not interested in blackmailing you, I’m interested in offering you an alternative way to achieve your objective. You have a vision for this city, you want to eliminate the problems and rebuild it to be better, stronger. It’s a noble goal, but this… this is messy and really quite antiquated.”_

_“I apologize for not granting much merit to your opinion on a plan that has already been set in motion after years of careful developing.”_

_“A plan that I could have already blown the whistle on, but as I told you, I’m not interested in blackmailing you.”_

_“So what is your proposal?”_

_He pulled a USB drive out of his pocket, “For starters, you’ll need this.”_

“Urgghhh,” Felicity groaned in frustration, slamming her hands down on the counter on either side of the keyboard.  

“What’s wrong?” Oliver asked from across the room.

“I am so much smarter than he is---was, how am I not able to get through his encryptions?”

He walked up behind her to peer at her computer screen, “Hmmm?”

“I’ve sorted through most of the useless stuff, like his files from the HR department, supervisor reports, security footage of him going about his normal daily routine, and there’s nothing suspicious. His personal database is protected by so many levels of encryptions though. Any projects that he would have been responsible for and anything that he didn’t want people easily accessing would be on there,” she explained.

“What about his personal computer? A tablet?”

“His personal computer was still connected to the company server so that he could work on stuff from home. Any loose thread I could pull on would be on this database, which is why he has it so heavily protected, but still, I should be able to get into it. I taught him half of the stuff he knows. Whatever he’s protecting has to be important if he went to all this trouble to keep it secure.”

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” he reassured her. 

She took her glasses off and rubbed her eyes, “I will. But right now, I need a break. Any guys we can go after?”

Oliver pulled out his notebook and slid it over to her, “Take your pick.”

She opened the front cover and something caught her eye. “Wait a second, I’ve seen this symbol before.”

“You have?”

Nodding, she scrolled through the files she had pulled up on her computer screen until she got to what she was looking for. “I figured that it wasn’t important since it wasn’t very hard to get access to. Why would this symbol that was in your father’s notebook be with the files that had matched with Cooper?”

Oliver shrugged, “I have no idea. I thought it was just part of the design of the notebook.”

Felicity tapped her chin and started a reverse image search, which brought up nothing.

“I hate mysteries,” she muttered.

“When did you and Cooper move to Starling City?”

“After you went missing. Although we did visit a few times before that when we were interviewing for our jobs, but the possibility that Cooper could have met your father is extremely slim, and that still doesn’t explain the symbol. You’re friends with Tommy, were your fathers friends?”

Oliver nodded, “They were. The symbol could represent some sort of project between the two companies but that doesn’t explain why it’s in this notebook or why it’s tied to Cooper.”

“Okay, well, I’ll continue working on cracking into Cooper’s files while we keep going after the guys on the list and hopefully something will help us to figure out the connection. So for tonight…” She flipped through the pages and pointed at a name, “How about James Holder?”

She pulled his name up on her tablet and skimmed through some news articles. “Put defective smoke alarms in low income housing in the Glades, and just got through with a lawsuit in which he definitely got off far too easily based on the reports of fatalities due to his actions.”

“Then let’s go make sure he pays his proper dues.” Oliver squeezed her shoulder and she stiffened. Once she had gotten past her fresh grief over Cooper, she had craved Oliver’s touch. Enjoyed the comfort and reassurance it brought. The feeling of humanity it provided in a world where, when she was all alone, she sometimes felt as dead as everyone believed her to be. Ever since the night they had kissed though, Oliver had been reserved, which was good in a way because they needed to keep their emotions in check. On the other hand, she missed the comforting warmth that spread through her. When they had been out in the field the other night, his hand had clasped hers and his arms had wrapped around her out of necessity. This was the first time since she had pushed him back that he had deliberately touched her just because and it came as a surprise, hence her reaction.

He retracted his hand quickly and went to grab his suit without further comment, leaving her sitting in her chair with the remaining feeling of fire dancing across her skin from his fingers. Taking a deep breath, she stood up to go upstairs and change into her own suit. The leather was starting to soften a bit, with each wear and each mission it became more a part of her, making her feel more worthy of the hood, and she was only just beginning. Despite her initial panic after taking down Vance, when she had stood under the stream of her shower that night, the grease paint sliding off of her face and swirling down the drain, she had been proud of herself for being able to face her fears and shake that hesitation to do what was necessary to protect her friends and herself. She never wanted to have to hurt another person, but she was also beginning to fully understand the _us or them_ mentality that Oliver had so deeply ingrained in him.

Once she was dressed she went back downstairs, pausing briefly at the club entrance to listen to the song that was pulsating through the building and her hips started swaying side to side as she adjusted one of the buckles on her jacket. Like she had told Oliver, nightclubs weren’t really her scene, but sometimes when she was all by herself at night she would come down to this small area in the stairwell and dance in her pajamas to the songs filtering in from the club. It gave her a little sense of being a part of the real world.

“You almost ready to go?”

Oliver’s voice coming up from the stairs down to the basement startled her and she hurried down to grab her bow and quiver.

“So maybe this is a stupid question, but who actually runs the club? There’s no way you can convince me that you actually do any of the work since I pretty much know where you are at all times, wow that sounded creepy but you know what I mean, and you’re never really doing any “club owner duties” that I’m aware of.”

“Tommy runs the club,” Oliver explained as he strapped his flechettes to his arm. “His father cut him off and he needed a job. Worked out well for both of us.”

She tapped her chin, “I’m not sure if it’s worse to have had a lot of money your whole life and then be cut off from it, or be poor until you could work for yourself because your family consisted of a single mom who couldn’t give you anything beyond providing for the basic needs.”

Oliver huffed, “Your situation made you a lot more prepared for the real world. Tommy will be fine though, dating Laurel has inspired him to be a lot more responsible.”

“If only she would have had the same effect on me,” he added under his breath.

Felicity wasn’t sure what to say in response so she just walked away to grab her bow from its case. It felt so much more comfortable in her hand now, Oliver had been right about it becoming more manageable as she got stronger and more accustomed to it. She wasn’t quite at the point where it was practically an extension of her arm like it was for him, but maybe one day. He had a pretty big head start on her if he had picked up a bow soon after getting shipwrecked. Or maybe he had learned not long before coming home and he was just naturally, ridiculously good? She still knew virtually nothing about his time away except for little bits and pieces he had shared, and she had a feeling he would be even less forthcoming now since there was a stiff awkwardness between them whenever they tried to have a conversation that wasn’t task oriented.

She met Oliver out in the alley and plugged James Holder’s address into the small GPS unit on her motorcycle before revving the engine. Once they arrived at the street, they stowed their bikes and crept through the shadows until they got to his house. They could see a figure walking around on the rooftop terrace and deduced that it was probably him.

“Two security guards patrolling outside the side door,” Oliver whispered, tilting his head in their direction and drawing her attention to the men concealed in the darkness. 

“Perfect. One for each of us,” she muttered dryly, drawing an arrow.

“No,” he put a hand on her shoulder. “We need to get in close and disarm them. This is too populated of an area to risk them opening fire and alerting the entire neighborhood. The one on the left is smaller so you go for him, okay?” 

She swallowed and slipped her arrow back in her quiver, “Okay.”

“I’ve got your back and I won’t let you get hurt. Just remember what I taught you.”

They circled around to approach the men from behind and she set her sights on the smaller man like Oliver had advised. He might be the smaller of the two, but he still seemed like twice her size and her heart hammered in her chest. Using her advantage of surprise to come up underneath the arm holding his gun, she covered his mouth with one hand and twisted his arm over the support of her back to dislocate his shoulder and send him crumpling to the ground as he blacked out from the pain. She reached down quickly to pick up his gun and stepped back in surprise at her success. It was one thing to practice the move on Oliver, but a whole other thing to actually disable someone. She wasn’t quite sure if it was wrong to be proud of herself or not.

“You good?” Oliver asked and she nodded in confirmation.

He kicked in the door and waved her in after him. The décor of the inside of the house was simple, yet expensive looking and the place definitely had the look of a home for a single businessman who was rarely home. Her eyes trailed across the high ceilings and she peeked into the rooms with open entryways as they passed them on their way to the stairwell. After months in her little apartment at the foundry, she could hardly imagine what it would be like to have so much space. Even her and Cooper’s townhouse felt like a mansion in retrospect compared to her one room now. Not that she could complain, it was still infinitely better than a prison cell and the entire basement was technically part of her living space too, but sometimes she wished she had a real home. And then she would remember that a real home required a real life.

So she didn’t dwell on it.

They found the stairs and Oliver led them up, both of them keeping their eyes peeled for any additional security. Up on the roof, they stayed concealed behind a large planter and listened to Holder talk on the phone. He was discussing the lawsuit with someone and then mentioned something called Unidac industries before hanging up.

“Follow my lead,” Oliver whispered as he stepped out into view, shooting an arrow into the bottle in Holder’s hand, shattering it and startling the man. And her a little bit.

She shuffled into place next to him and flipped on her voice modulator.

“I have armed security, all I have to do is call out,” Holder warned them.

“Yeah they’ll be real helpful,” Felicity remarked at the same time that Oliver said, “Go ahead, they can’t hear you.”

They hadn’t quite practiced syncing up their vigilante banter yet. Hopefully Oliver wouldn’t be mad at her for stepping on his moment. Although, to be fair, he did get to be dramatic and shoot the bottle so technically it was her turn. Holder looked at them in confusion and they dropped the guns they had retrieved from the guards onto the pool deck to clarify their jumble of words.

“What the hell do you want?” Holder asked, the fear evident on his face. 

“How many people died in those fires?” When his question was met with silence, Oliver repeated himself, his voice deepening and laced with impatience, “How many?”

It was clear that Oliver wasn’t going to get an answer so he plowed on, “The courts say you don’t owe your victims anything, I disagree. James Holder, you have---“

Oliver was interrupted by a gunshot straight to Holder’s heart, causing Felicity to gasp in surprise and Oliver to whip around and send arrows off rapid-fire in the direction of the shooter.

“Get down!” he yelled at her as bullets rained onto the rooftop and she quickly obliged, ducking for cover behind the outdoor kitchen.

She glanced behind her and saw Holder’s body sinking in the pool, the water around him slowly turning red, and she grimaced. The bullets stopped coming and she crawled over to where Oliver was crouched.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yeah….” Her eyes widened when she spotted his shoulder, “You got shot!”

“I’m aware,” he ground out.

“Are you going to be okay? Should we go to a hospital?” She knew it was a dumb question, they couldn’t exactly walk into Starling General.

“I’ll be fine,” he assured her, but she could tell his voice was a little strained. “Let’s get back.”

* * *

 

“I can’t even begin to tell you how disturbing it is that you’re comfortable stitching up your own wounds,” she commented, peering at him through the cracks in between the fingers of the hand across her eyes.

“I had to get used to it,” he replied, sticking the needle back through his skin for one last stitch. The look on his face told her that while he might be used to it, it was still as excruciatingly painful as she imagined.

“So should we be happy that at least our mystery shooter took care of James Holder for us?” she asked, moving over to the other counter to cross his name off the list while Oliver pulled a shirt on.

“It’s not surprising that a man as corrupt as him would have more than one enemy, but I would have liked to have been able to properly bring him to justice. Killing him does nothing for the families he hurt.”

She heard him bump into something and she turned around to see him bracing himself on the counter.

“Are you—“

“Felicity I need you to get the pouch of herbs out of my trunk,” he instructed her urgently as he fumbled around for a bottle of water.

“What?”

“Herbs. Pouch. Trunk.” He was breathing heavily and her heart skipped a beat as she scurried over to his trunk and flipped it open. Nestled into one of the corners was a small pouch that she hoped was what he needed and she snatched it up before running back over to where he had collapsed onto the ground.

She crouched down and handed it to him, watching in concern as he extracted a pinch of the nasty looking herbs and chased them down with a swig of water. As his eyes closed, he slumped fully down to the ground and her breath caught in her throat. Reaching a shaking hand out she felt for a pulse and was relieved to find one, albeit a little irregular. The rational part of her brain told her that she needed to just wait for whatever those herbs were to take their effect in his system, but the less rational part was freaking out a little since she wasn’t exactly sure what had just happened. She hoped that it was nothing more than blacking out from the pain of his wound.

She didn’t want to just leave him lying on the floor, but since he was still breathing and his heart was beating, she figured she should go distract herself while she waited for him to come to.

And if that didn’t happen…

She didn’t want to think about it.

Stripping off her jacket, she tossed it on the counter and headed over to one of the training dummies to burn off some of the nervous energy. Once she was thoroughly exhausted, she checked on Oliver and then walked over to her chair at the computer to flip through the news channels.

_“James Holder was found dead in his pool late last night, police are still unclear as to if this was the work of the vigilante or not.”_

“My arrows being littered all over the deck will definitely throw them for a loop.”

She jumped out of her chair at his voice and glanced over her shoulder at him, “What happened to you?”

“The bullet was laced with some sort of poison,” he explained. “I should be okay now though.”

“Lovely,” she muttered, before her attention was caught by the next news story.

_“In other news, Helena Bertinelli was arrested early this morning for the murder of several men and the attempted murder of her father, Frank Bertinelli. His warrant is also now out for arrest after Ms. Bertinelli provided testimony and evidence for his criminal involvement in exchange for a reduced sentence and the police are actively searching for him.”_

_The screen flashed to a beautiful but very angry looking girl, struggling against the police officers who were restraining her, “He deserved to die. He took everything from me. Everything!”_

_The news reporter came back on, “Statements from Ms. Bertinelli indicate that her one woman vendetta against her father and his organization resulted from the murder of her fiancé that was ordered by her father last year.”_

Felicity turned the tv off and swiveled around in her chair, “I guess I shouldn’t judge her too much since I’m not exactly handling the death of a loved one in the most conventional way either.”

Oliver shook his head, “What we’re doing-- the intention is justice. It seems like she was only seeking revenge and even when her father is in custody, she’s not going to be satisfied.”

She drummed her fingers on the arm of her chair, “I’m not sure the police would differentiate between your brand of justice and revenge if we got caught. If their anti-vigilante task force is any indication, they don’t seem to be very convinced that what you’re doing is very hero-like.”

“Because I’m _not_ a hero.” She opened her mouth to protest but he kept talking, “Frank Bertinelli is actually on the list though, and it was my intention to go after him sooner, but things got a little sidetracked when I brought you in.”

Her eyes fell to her toes, “I’m sorry.”

“I’m not.” She looked up and gave him a small, grateful smile before he continued talking. “And it worked out anyway because he’s going to get what he deserves now that the police finally have grounds for his arrest, even without my involvement. We have other things to focus on. Can you run an analysis of the poison from my blood on the gauze? I suspect it’s a calling card we can use to track down the shooter.”   

She looked over at the bloody pieces of the gauze in the tray and hesitantly lifted one of them up with the forceps. “Gross, but yeah… and you’re sure you’re feeling alright now?”

“My shoulder hurts a little, but I’m not feeling the effects of the poison anymore… at least I don’t think I am. I need to go home and check in on my family. Get some rest and call me when you’ve got the results on the poison.” He grabbed his jacket and turned back one last time before walking up the stairs, “You did well out there.”

“Thanks.”

“So… see you later…”

And now that they weren’t focused on doing something (or not dying), the awkwardness was back.

“Yeah. Tell your family I said hi,” she attempted to joke before cringing at how bitter her voice sounded. Her mind flashed back to that night when she had told him they couldn’t be together, partially because his own family couldn’t even know about her, and she didn’t want Oliver to know how much it was hurting her. Walking the line between the relationship they had before they kissed and the weird place they were in now was harder in practice than in theory.

He ignored her comment, he was clearly better at this than she was, and left, the clanging of the door echoing loudly through the now empty basement. Sighing, she stood up to go take a shower and nap before she ran the tests.

* * *

 

She picked up the burner phone and dialed Oliver’s number, “Hey, so I tested your blood and the poison is curare, a really rare and deadly poison, so I’m really glad you’re not dead right now. Whatever those nasty plants you ate were, they were definitely magical. Oh, and you’re right about it being our killer’s signature. It matches up with hits from all around the globe, the guy really gets around. Identity is unknown but Interpol has a codename for him, _Deadshot_.”

“Ok, thank you. We’re moving this guy to the top of our priority list.”

“Why is he our problem now? I mean, besides the fact that he’s evil and he almost killed you…”

“We offer people the chance to right their wrongs, this guy clearly doesn’t have any honor or code, and he doesn’t kill for justice, which makes him dangerous.”

“I see your point. So what do we do next?”

“You keep working on Cooper’s files. I’m going to do a little investigating, talk to some contacts, and see if I can get a lead on this Deadshot.” 


	12. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something you guys have been asking for happens in this chapter.... Enjoy!

_When he opened the door to the stairwell, he knew something was wrong. He could hear her sniffling, the faint sobs, and he doubled his pace down the stairs._

_Turning around the corner, he saw her sitting at her computer, her shoulders slumped and head bowed._

_“Felicity?” he asked tentatively, wondering what could have happened in the brief hours he had been gone._

_She swiveled around slowly in her chair and he could see that her eyes were red and tears tracked down her face._

_“He was going to propose,” she whispered, and the emotionless quality of her voice was a harsh contrast to her appearance, like she had exhausted all of her sadness._

_He took a step closer to her, “What?”_

_“Cooper… I got into some of his emails… and there was an order receipt from a jeweler a few weeks before he was killed. I looked back and found more correspondence discussing the design, for an engagement ring.” She reached a hand up to wipe her eyes. “I can’t know Oliver, I can’t know if he was involved in something terrible. I can’t believe that he would do something bad… he wanted to marry me. And I know I shouldn’t even be thinking this way because he was the one who was killed, he was the victim, but something just seems off about all of this. My virus going missing, the effort that was taken to cover up his murder, all of these protected files that must be hiding something, I can’t help but think that he got involved with some bad people and I just… I can’t know.”_

_She deserved so much more than this. So much more than a glimpse at the future she was supposed to get to have. A future she would never get to have now._

_She deserved so much better than him, but he was all she had and he felt completely helpless. Any attempts to comfort her, really comfort her beyond a temporary distraction, would risk crossing over the lines she had carefully drawn when she told him that he couldn’t get too attached. He never thought he would be in the place where_ she _would be the one having to say that to_ him _. He shouldn’t have let himself get so close. It had just been too easy with her._

_He needed to do something though, he refused to just let her sit there and cry. Helping people deal with their emotions wasn’t exactly his expertise, but lately she seemed to be mastering one of the skills he hadn’t intentionally taught her: keeping busy to shut the emotions out. And thankfully, his errand this morning had provided him with just the thing to occupy her._

_He closed the rest of the distance between them and placed his hand hesitantly on her shoulder, “Hey.”_

_She looked up at him with big watery blue eyes, “I’m sorry.”_

_“There’s no reason to apologize, and you don’t have to keep looking into this until you’re ready, or ever. We can still figure out what’s going on without knowing about Cooper’s involvement.”_

_How? He wasn’t quite sure, but he didn’t want to see her upset like this again._

_“I have something else for you to work on, if you want,” he continued. “I was able to retrieve this from Floyd Lawton, Deadshot, do you think you can salvage anything from it?”_

_He set the laptop on the counter next to her and his brow furrowed in confusion when she laughed. It was a little choked with tears, but a laugh nonetheless, and it was such a 180 degree change from her earlier demeanor that he wasn’t sure how to respond._

_“What?”_

_“What would you do if you didn’t have me? How would you explain this to someone in say… the IT department?” her eyes bared a trace of amusement and he was relieved to see that he had been successful at temporarily distracting her from the engagement ring, so he decided to play along._

_He tapped his chin, “Umm… I was at a coffee shop surfing the web and I spilled a latte on it?”_

_She tilted her head and raised an eyebrow, “Really?”_

_He crossed his arms, “Yeah.”_

_She tapped a finger on the laptop, “Because these look like bullet holes.”_

_“My coffee shop is in a bad neighborhood,” he explained lamely and she laughed again._

_“For someone who keeps so many secrets, you are a terrible liar. But yes, I will do my best to see what I can recover from your latte destroyed laptop, Mr. Queen.” She spun around in her chair and plugged the laptop into her computer._

_He swallowed. Her referring to him as Mr. Queen should not have had the sort of effect on him that it did._

She was pretty sure that this was what going insane felt like. The three month mark since her trial was rapidly approaching and she hadn’t had meaningful contact, as in the kind that doesn’t involve knocking them over the head, with any human beings other than Oliver in that time.

And now she was barely talking to him. She missed their late night conversations, the closeness they had shared for so many weeks, but she didn’t know how to get things back to the way they used to be without going too far. They went out in the field at night, crossed some names off the list, trained in almost silence, and that was pretty much it.

Finding out about the ring hurt because it represented the life she couldn’t have anymore, with _anyone_. At least not here in Starling. And even if she eventually left, she probably wouldn’t be able to settle down somewhere permanently enough to get married. That would raise questions about her identity that she couldn’t answer. Her crime hadn’t exactly been national news, but she had watched enough television shows to know that people’s past usually had no trouble catching up to them. When Oliver had first approached her with his offer, she had only been thinking about getting out of that cell, she hadn’t fully thought through all of the ways that her secret would imprison her forever.  

Oliver bringing her the laptop had been exactly the temporary distraction she needed. She knew deep down that no matter what Oliver said she was going to have to keep digging deeper into Cooper’s files, to find out if and why he had taken her virus, and to truly have closure on her chapter of life with him. She hated that every time she thought she was ready, something set her back. But for right now she was glad to have something else more pressing to do. And it was incredibly amusing. Or she was going insane. Jury was still out.

The files started moving over to her computer and she opened one. “Okay so one of these files is blueprints…”

“Can you tell what of?” he asked, leaning against the counter. She hadn’t noticed earlier how the gray sweater he was wearing made his eyes look really blue and---

She pulled her eyes back to her screen, “The Exchange Building.”

“Never heard of it.”

“I thought you said this was your laptop?” she teased, tilting her head in his direction, and he just shot her a look.

Pulling up a search, she found out that there was going to be an auction hosted there for the sale of Unidac Industries.

“Hmm, I remember them talking about Unidac Industries at Queen Consolidated before I ‘left,’” she made air quotes. “I think Mr. Steele is interested in acquiring it… Wait, wasn’t James Holder talking about Unidac Industries on the phone the other night?”

“You’re right, he was. And you said Walter was interested in Unidac?”

She nodded, “Also… who did you say you got this computer from?”

“Floyd Lawton.”

“Except that it’s actually Warren Patel’s,” she explained, pointing out the login name in the corner of the screen.

“Hmmm… it seems like Warren Patel may have hired Deadshot—“

“To take out the competition for Unidac,” she finished his sentence. “And based on the blueprints, I would say he’s going to go after the rest of the potential buyers at the auction itself.”

“Mhhmm,” he agreed grimly. “Can you pull up a street view of the Exchange Building?”

“Of course.” A few keystrokes and she had it pulled up.

“Three surrounding towers with eye lines into the building, he could get his shot off from anywhere. This is going to be difficult for us to handle alone.”

“Sooo… what do we do?”

He walked over to grab his suit, “I’ll take care of it.”

* * *

 

“Remind me what I’m supposed to be doing again?” she asked, keeping her hands firmly gripped around her tablet even though it was really bothering her that his tie was a little crooked and she was tempted to reach up and fix it. But that just made her think of the last time she had adjusted his wardrobe, which had only helped to hasten their tumble down the stairwell to places they shouldn’t have gone and well… she couldn’t risk that happening again and she just couldn’t be liable for what she might do if her hands got anywhere near the top buttons of his shirt while they were standing in an empty hallway and wow, she really needed to focus on the important details he was trying to relay to her at the moment…

“It seems like Detective Lance listened to me, so there should be enough men covering the building to help protect the people inside. I need you on standby to back me up and chase down Lawton once he gives away his location.”

“So where do you want me?” she cleared her throat awkwardly. “Location-wise. In the building. Or not in the building.”

He pointed at the blueprints she had pulled up on her tablet, “No one should be in this back hallway. Keep my bag with you and just lie low until you hear from me, okay?”

“Okay,” she nodded, shrugging his duffel bag onto her shoulder. “And Oliver? Your tie is a little crooked.”

“What?” She pointed at his tie and he looked down to adjust it. “Oh. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome… so I’m going to go, hide out in my hallway.” She pivoted and turned to slip in the side door, glancing over her shoulder at Oliver’s retreating back as he went to keep an eye on Walter from the inside of the event.

Once she had found a good spot to conceal herself, she pulled up the security cameras from the grand foyer on her tablet. Her eyes instantly sought out Oliver and found him standing with Walter… and his mom and sister. From the camera location she couldn’t see Oliver’s face but she knew this had to be throwing him for a bit of a loop. He hadn’t factored in them being here that she had known, and there was no way he would be happy that they were potentially in the line of fire. She saw him wave a man over and she guessed that he was the bodyguard that Oliver had spoken of before. He certainly seemed like the man for the job, his biceps looked like they were as big around as tree trunks.    


She thought she heard someone walking towards her and she melted further into the wall. In the second that she had taken her eyes off her screen, chaos had broken out. She could see gunshots and people running about in panic. Her eyes locked on Oliver and she saw him usher his family out with the bodyguard before running towards the door that she guessed would take him to her. Slipping her tablet into her quiver, she prepared herself to run as soon as he arrived.

“Bag. Now,” he requested as soon as he burst through the door and she tossed it to him. “He’s in the tower across the street, I’ll be right behind you.”

She nodded and took off. Slipping out the side entrance she had come in and running across the street, she used the mass of people fleeing the auction to keep hidden until she got around the back of the building that Lawton was in. It was under renovations and the crew had gone home for the night, which made it the perfect place for a sniper to take his shot. Inside the building, she found the stairs and started running, hoping that Oliver would catch up with her before she got to the top and had to take on Lawton alone. She didn’t exactly like her odds against an assassin with internationally acclaimed accuracy.

Approaching the top, and no sign of Oliver, she slipped an arrow out of her quiver and prepared herself for the worst. She could hear the stream of bullets that Lawton was still sending into the Exchange Building and there was no doubt in her mind that she was in the right place.

She took a tentative step out of the stairwell and hoped she wouldn’t draw his attention. If she had a little bit of time, she could get a shot on him before he turned on her. Before she was able to do anything though, the sound of glass shattering filled the space as Oliver crashed through one of the windows.

So much for the element of surprise.

Instantly, the room was filled with ricocheting bullets as Lawton turned his shots inwards. She watched as both Oliver and Lawton weaved in and out of the concrete columns and construction scaffolding. At one point they collided, fighting hand to hand and flipping each other over. She might have been able to get a shot off, but she still wasn’t confident enough in her aim with moving targets yet to not accidently hit Oliver instead.

Lawton wrested Oliver’s bow from his hands and sent it skidding across the floor. Oliver broke away and grabbed the bow before ducking behind one of the columns.

She heard helicopters approaching and she had a feeling this standoff was about to end poorly for all of them.

“Drop your guns,” Oliver growled.

“I admire your work,” Lawton lauded him. “Guess you won’t be extending me any professional courtesy.”

“We’re not in the same line of work. Your profession is murder.”

 “You’ve taken lives,” Lawton taunted him.

“For the good of others,” Oliver pointed out. “You’re out for yourself.”

She was not interested in waiting around while they argued out the details of their killing and the police got closer and closer.

Eyeing up the situation, she tried to figure out how she could be of the most help to Oliver. If she caused a diversion and drew Lawton’s attention, Oliver could take advantage of the split second of distraction. Sliding around the edge of the room, she started to fire arrows across the space in between the two men. This caused Lawton to step away from Oliver and towards her, and she ran to avoid the flurry of bullets that followed. As soon as he was distracted, Oliver took a shot and she glanced back over her shoulder to watch as it sailed right into Lawton’s eye, sending him flat on his back to the ground.

“Ouch. I don’t even want to look close enough to check if he’s dead,” she commented, circling back to where Oliver was.

Oliver sighed, “He’s dead, now let’s get out of here.”

A grunt of pain caught her attention as they walked towards the window that Oliver had swung into and she turned to see that they weren’t alone.

Her eyes widened and she grabbed Oliver’s arm to get his attention. He cursed under his breath and ran over to catch his bodyguard before he crumpled to the ground.

“What are we going to do?” she asked.

“He got hit, we’ve got to get him back to the foundry. You can get back there faster alone, so go now and be ready for us by making up a mixture of the herbs you gave me and water.”  

“You want to take him to your _secret_ base?”

“You’re the one who suggested I tell him,” he pointed out. “And I vetted him.”  

She brushed past him, “Okay… these might not exactly be the best circumstances to drop this on him, but it’s your call and we probably don’t have time to overthink this if the curare is already taking effect…”

“We can trust him,” he assured her.

Glancing over her shoulder, she nodded before starting down the stairs.

* * *

 

She heard the door bang and she ran over to the stairs, watching as Oliver eased the bodyguard down.

“Do you need help?”

“Do you have the herbs ready?”

She held up the cup, “Yep. It’s not too late, right? He’s going to make it?”

“He should be okay. Help me get him up onto the table,” he requested and she sat the cup down in order to assist Oliver.

The bodyguard was still somewhat conscious, at least his eyes flickered open for a moment and he coughed and sputtered when Oliver tipped the mixture of water and herbs down his throat, but like Oliver, he became very still once the mixture had been administered. While Oliver went to put his bow away, she reached and felt for a pulse and was relieved that she wasn’t going to see someone else die tonight. She didn’t know how Oliver had stomached so much death. Even when she knew the person had done something terrible, it was hard.

A part of her wondered how she would feel if she ever got the chance to face the person who had killed Cooper and essentially taken her whole life away from her. Would she want to enact vengeance personally? Like Helena Bertinelli had attempted? Would she feel any remorse at taking him or her from their family like they had ripped Cooper away from her?

She didn’t think she was cold-blooded or cruel. She liked to think she would show mercy and let them face the fair justice of the law.

But her own experiences had taught her that the law wasn’t always fair. Working with Oliver had taught her that there was more than one way to obtain justice. She remembered the anger she had felt the other night as she struck the sledge hammer against the tire, the rage and frustration she had felt simmering in her blood, and she wondered how it would feel to be able to take that out on the actual person who had caused her that pain.

She shook her head. Oliver had said that Helena’s desire for revenge wouldn’t satisfy her, she couldn’t let herself be consumed by a similar vendetta.

That didn’t mean that there wouldn’t be justice though. If her life was over, she wanted to make sure that the person who destroyed it had their life ruined too.

And if that made her a terrible person, so be it.  

“So, I guess we just wait until your magic leaves work through his system,” she remarked, swiveling on her feet to face Oliver. 

He nodded, “Are you okay? You didn’t get hurt, did you?”

“No, I’m fine. Just tired.”

“You don’t have to wait around until Digg wakes up if you need to get some sleep. Or if you don’t want him knowing about you. That’s your secret to tell.”

She raised an eyebrow, “Digg?”

“His name is John Diggle, and he prefers that I call him Digg.”

“I see,” she nodded. “Well, if you trust him with your secret, I trust him with mine.”

“Okay.”

“So… since we just have some time to kill, I really need more practice with shooting moving targets. There were a few times tonight that I could have gotten a hit on Deadshot, but I wasn’t confident enough that I wouldn’t hit you by accident.”

Also, she didn’t want to just sit in silence with him until Dig woke up. Her thoughts might start drifting back to Cooper and the question he never got a chance to ask her and now wasn’t the time to turn into a blubbering mess.

“We can work on that,” Oliver assured her, turning and reaching for a box. “It’s about time you played tennis.”

She cracked a smile as he tossed a tennis ball into the air. For the first couple of weeks, when she had still been recovering from the accident, she had loved occupying her time with throwing tennis balls for him to shoot. He was such a show off and she ate it up. A pang of longing hit her for how uncomplicated things had been between them then. She almost felt further from him now than she had then, when she barely knew him. She had been so open, wanting to break down the barriers around his heart, and now she was the one constructing the walls. Telling herself that she had done her job, she had gotten him to open up and now it was only right for her to push him back out into the real world, didn’t make it an easy pill to swallow when it left her all alone.

She picked up her bow and pushed the negative thoughts to a corner of her mind so that she could focus on the ball in Oliver’s hand.

“Ready?” he asked.

Knocking an arrow, she raised her bow, “Yep.”

“Alright, let’s see what you’ve got.”

He tossed the ball into the arrow and she aimed and fired quickly. The arrow clattered against one of the steel ceiling beams and she pouted in frustration.

“That was close, try again.”

She set herself up again and he threw another ball. Her shoulders slumped when she missed again.

“How do you make this look so easy?” she asked, picking up another arrow.

He just grinned cockily and she rolled her eyes.

“Don’t overthink it,” he advised, tossing the ball.

Overthinking was her superpower, but this time she just let herself feel. Feel the way her muscles tightened as she drew the bowstring back. Feel the vibrations of the string as she released it. Feel the rush of satisfaction as the arrow sunk into the tennis ball and they dropped to the ground.

“Well done,” he clapped. “Now you just have to repeat that a couple hundred times and you’ll be good to go.”

She pressed the heel of palm to her forehead, “Baby steps.”

“Yes,” he agreed. “And you’re doing really well for only having been thrown into this a few months ago.”

“Thank you.” She shrugged, “Ask any of my teachers, I’ve always been a model student… Except maybe in college when I realized how much smarter I was than some of them and I might have let it get to my head.”

He raised an eyebrow, “Oh really?”

She smiled guiltily and pinched her two fingers together, “Just a little bit.”

Their attention was diverted by Digg coughing and they both turned to him as he eased himself into a seating position.

“Hey.”

Felicity smacked Oliver on the shoulder, “Hey? That’s how you were planning on opening?”

“What did I say to you when you woke up?”

“Oliver?” Digg asked, his eyes widening as they became adjusted to the low lighting of the lair.

Oliver look back over at Digg and nodded. Digg’s eyes flickered over to her for a second and when he didn’t recognize her, returned to Oliver.

“You’re that vigilante.”

He stared at him for a split second before stumbling forward, swinging his arm in an attempt to punch Oliver, but the curare was still affecting his movements and Oliver sidestepped him easily.

Felicity wasn’t sure what to do. It was clear that this wasn’t going to go how Oliver was hoping or expecting. She stepped closer to him, wanting to offer support.

“Easy Digg; you were poisoned,” Oliver said calmly.

“Son of a bitch,” Dig growled, attempting another punch that almost collided with her instead. Oliver grabbed him, pushing him back towards the table and away from her.

She hoped Oliver appreciated how comparatively well she had handled her first encounter with his secret identity.

Oliver crossed his arms, “I could have taken you anywhere. I could have taken you home, but I brought you here.”

Digg shook his head, “You really did lose your mind on that island.”

“Found a couple of things along the way.”

“What? Like archery classes?”

“Clarity. Starling City… is dying.”

She couldn’t help but agree. It had been easy to ignore the problems when she had been safely tucked away at her desk at QC, the news stories all starting to blur together into background noise, but working alongside Oliver had changed her perspective.

“It is being poisoned, by a criminal elite, who don’t care who they hurt---”

He glanced over at her knowingly before continuing, “---As long as they maintain their wealth and power.”

Digg scoffed, “And what are you going to do? Take them all down by your lonesome?”

She gave a little wave, “I help a little bit too.”

Digg looked at her, “Who are you?”

“Felicity,” she introduced herself, extending a hand which he didn’t acknowledge.

“How’d he manage to rope you into this insanity?”

She pulled her hand back and shrugged, “It was either this or prison.”

It was equal parts an attempt at a joke to dispel the tension and, unfortunately, a true fact.

“So why am I here?” he asked, looking back at Oliver.

“I want you to join us. Special Forces out of Kandahar, it’s perfect. You’re a fellow soldier.”

Digg looked at him in disbelief, “Oliver, you’re not a soldier. You’re a criminal. And a murderer.”

He glanced over at her, “Both of you.”

Before either of them could get another word out, he turned and walked up the stairs, clutching his shoulder and not bothering to look back at them.


	13. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I'm posting this a little later than normal today, but it's a nice long chapter to make up for it :) Enjoy!

_“Jason Brodeur, Adam Hunt, Warren Patel… In case you hadn’t noticed, this Vigilante’s targets aren’t random.”_

_“He’s going after the list.”_

_He nodded. “I think it’s time that our… associate took care of those whose convictions might not be as strong in light of their recent misfortunes. We wouldn’t want something going wrong in the final hour.”_

_“And what about the Vigilante himself?”_

_“He won’t be a problem much longer.”_

_Another man spoke up, “You don’t think that she’s involved do you? We haven’t been able to find any signs of her in months.”_

_One of the others at the meeting waved his hand dismissively, “She’s undoubtedly long gone by now. If she knew anything, she would have come forward when she was incarcerated.”_

_“But sir, one of our contacts at the prison reported to us that Cyrus Vance told the authorities that there was a woman working wit_ _h the Vigilante.”_

_“She never seemed like the type….”_

_“I agree. And even if it was her, it doesn’t change the fact that she’s had months to give the Vigilante what he needs to take down the organization at its core if she had the information, and instead he’s still crossing names off one by one.”_

_“What of your son, Moira?”_

_All eyes turned to the woman who had remained silent throughout the discussion._

_“We’ve already gone down that path; Robert didn’t tell Oliver anything. And Walter has run into a dead end with his investigation, apparently the only overly competent person in QC’s IT department is no longer available, so you can leave my family alone. We’re going away after the holidays and I don’t want any unexpected surprises.”_

_“Running away are we?”_

_“All we’re doing right now is waiting on things to finalize with Unidac. I don’t see why my family and I can’t enjoy a few days somewhere we’re less likely to be shot by a lunatic with a bow and arrows.”_

_One of the other men commented, “I don’t blame you. I’ve already sent my family away until this is all over.”_

_“Don’t lose sight of the end goal. This Vigilante problem will be taken care of.” He planted his hands on the end of the conference table, “In a few short months, the organization’s vision of what this city should be, will be complete.”_

 

Felicity sighed as they stared at the door that Digg had just exited through. She turned to Oliver and knew she had to do something before he went down a self-hate spiral at Digg’s accusations. They might be avoiding talking about their feelings when it came to each other, but his feelings about what had just happened could be safely addressed within the friend box. 

“I think we could use a snack.”

She wasn’t sure why that was the first thing she thought to blurt out, but upon saying it, she realized that she _was_ hungry.

“What?”

“We’re going to talk about this, but first I’m going to get us a snack. Stay here, I’ll be right back down.”

“I’m not hungry,” Oliver muttered, raking a hand down his face.

“Whatever you say, but I’m a normal person who gets hungry after running up several flights of stairs and then fleeing a shower of bullets.” She turned on her heel and ran upstairs to her room.

* * *

 

When she came back down to the basement, Oliver had changed into his gray hoodie and sweatpants and he looked so cuddly. And sad, as he sat on the edge of his tire, staring blankly at the wall. Sitting down next to him, she held out the box of Lucky Charms.

“You sure you aren’t hungry?”

He shook his head, “I don’t know why I thought that would go differently.”

She nudged his foot with her own, “Believe me, I know what it feels like to be criminalized.”

“You didn’t deserve it though,” he pointed out.

“And you do?”

“You said it yourself, I’m a vicious killer.”

Her shoulders slumped. “Oliver…”

“I need to right the wrongs done by my family, and I will be whatever I need to be to do that,” he paused and looked over at her. “But I don’t want to turn you into me.”

She closed her eyes as she recounted her struggle with her anger and hate. But Oliver hadn’t done that to her. Oliver had saved her from years of sitting alone in a cell letting those feelings consume her. He had given her an outlet.

Opening her eyes, she poured herself a handful of cereal and separated out the marshmallows absentmindedly while she chose her words.

“I hate the person who killed Cooper, the person who took away almost every bit of normal from my life, and I don’t even know who they are,” she confessed, looking up at him. “Sure, I’d probably be a lot more successful at killing someone now than before I met you because of the skills you’ve taught me, but you are so much more than what you are capable of doing in order to save this city, and it wasn’t fair of me to insinuate in any way that you aren’t. If I become someone like you, someone whose life has changed so much and has every right to be angry at the world because of what they’ve gone through, and yet is still willing to sacrifice everything for the good of other people, then I don’t see anything wrong with that. You could have easily turned into a villain, and you chose to be a hero.”

He shook his head, “You don’t—“

“You made me believe in what we’re doing,” she interrupted him. “I think that you can do the same with Digg. You just have to show him what I see, and it’s not a criminal.”  

He stared at her and, for a fraction of a second, she could see a million emotions raging in his eyes before the storm died down and he blinked slowly.

“Thank you.”

She poured out another handful of cereal, “Either that or we’re going to be getting a visit from Detective Lance any minute now, but I’m optimistic.”

His stomach grumbled in response and she raised an eyebrow, “I thought you weren’t hungry?”

Glaring at her, he held out his open palm and she shook out some cereal.

“I haven’t had Lucky Charms in a long time,” he commented.

“Are you telling me that there’s no high fructose corn syrup and red dye 40 on deserted islands?” she teased.

He shook his head, “No.”

“Wow. I’m even more amazed that you made it out alive now that I know you went without high quality nutrition.”

He stood up to walk away, but she could see the amusement behind his eye roll and smiled.

“Hey, is your family doing anything for the holidays?” she asked, hoping to keep him distracted a little longer from going off and brooding over the situation with Digg.

He turned back to her, “What?”

“It’s December 17th. I think. What time is it? It might be the 18th already…”

Pressing a hand to his forehead, he sighed, “I totally forgot about Christmas. To be honest I didn’t even really notice what month it was. Days were just all the same on the island. No holidays, just trying to stay alive. Forgetting things, like Christmas, made that easier.”

She gave him a look of sympathy, “That makes sense. I didn’t think that I was going to want to celebrate Hanukkah this year, with everything that happened, but it was actually really nice to have something normal to do, even if it was just celebrating on my own. I would have thought that my ordering a menorah might have at least clued you in to the fact that we were in December…”

“Felicity, I don’t pay any attention to what you buy,” he confessed.

“You gave me a credit card with your name on it and you don’t even keep tabs on how I use it?” she asked incredulously. “What if I went crazy and bought something super excessive, like a yacht?”

He shot her a look, “Don’t buy a yacht.”

She cringed, “Very bad example, but you get my point.”

He shrugged, “That’s what my family has accountants for.”

She looked at him in concern, “Have the accountants been a little puzzled by what ‘you’” she made air quotes, “have been purchasing the past couple of months?”

“They learned a long time ago not to ask questions. But don’t worry, I’ll take care of it if something gets brought up.”

“Okay. Anyway, back to my original question…. Now that you know that Christmas is in a few days, are you planning on spending some time with your family?”

It was a question, but also a strong suggestion. One of the major reasons why she had drawn lines between them was so that he would spend more time with the outside world and she wasn’t going to let that be for nothing.

He leaned against the counter and a reminiscent look passed across his face, “My dad threw a party every year, and he would put a Christmas tree in every room. The whole mansion smelled like…” He paused for a second and she could tell he was lost in memories, “It smelled like Christmas.”

“So maybe you should give the list a rest and just enjoy the holidays with your family,” she suggested again. “Bring back the annual Christmas party, maybe?”

He cracked a small smile, “Yeah. I think I will.”

She stood up from her perch on the tire and patted him on the shoulder on her way to the stairwell, “Good.”

“Hey Felicity?”

She glanced back at him, “Yeah?”

“I know it’s a little late, but Happy Hanukkah.”

She smiled, “Thank you.”

* * *

 

“We’ve got a problem,” Oliver announced as he swept into the foundry the next day.

She looked up from where she was sitting on the floor stretching out her hamstrings, “What’s wrong?”

“Adam Hunt was killed earlier this evening. With arrows.”

“Who would kill Adam Hunt? I mean, other than you?”

“It’s a set-up, maybe?”

“You mean, someone looking to cover up killing Hunt by making it look like the work of the Vigilante—Hood, whatever they’re calling you these days?” 

“Whoever it was, they’re good. The grouping on Hunt’s chest was tight---“

She had gone back to her stretching and her head snapped back up to look at him in surprise, “Wait so you were there?”

“I was at dinner with some friends of my family and I followed the police commissioner out when he got the call.”

“Ohhhh,” she nodded in understanding, pushing herself off from the ground and grabbing her t-shirt that she had shed during her workout.

Oliver’s eyes darkened for a fraction of a second when her motion caused him to realize she was only in her sports bra but he blinked quickly and kept talking, “It was a compound bow like yours, most likely.”

“Well I can assure you that it wasn’t me,” she replied jokingly, taking a sip of her water.

“The guy is—“ He shook his head, “The guy’s a legitimate archer.” 

“So… would he be the type of guy who would be particular about his choice of arrows? If you can get one for me, I might be able to work my magic and find some sort of ID.”

“I will make a call to our good friend Detective Lance and see what I can do.”

She gave him a little two-fingered salute, “Sounds like a plan.”

* * *

 

“Ahh it looks like Lance came through,” Felicity commented, walking up behind him as he inspected an arrow under the magnifying glass.

“Teflon-coated titanium blade, serrated, to split the bone.”

“Nice.”

“Shaft is some type of specialized polymer, which is stronger than a typical carbon fiber.” He lifted it up to show her, “This… this is a custom job.”

“Did it come courtesy of Adam Hunt or did your copycat drop another body? There haven’t been any reports on it. I don’t think the police want the public in a panic knowing there’s more than one of you running around. I’m assuming that is also why there’s been no mention of me on the news yet, when, at the very least, Cyrus Vance and Laurel have seen me and must have given testimony to the police.”

“I think that’s exactly the police’s strategy. And the arrow came from a second hit, Nelson Ravich,” Oliver answered. “He’s on the list, or he was until we crossed him off last week.”

“I remember him.” She drummed her fingers on the counter, “Embezzlement, right?”

“Mhhmm,” he muttered in confirmation as he continued studying the arrow.  

“So is this guy trying to frame you, or call you out?”

“Either way, I need to find him.” He handed her the arrow, “ _We_ need to find him.”

She settled into her chair and examined the arrow for any markings she could use as a starting point.

“The shaft’s composite is patented,” she muttered, typing a few things into her computer and pulling up what she was looking for. “And that patent is registered to a company called Sagittarius. That’s Latin, for _the archer_.”

“Can you find out where and when the arrow was purchased?”

She shot him a look, “Why do you ask questions you already know the answer to?”

He shrugged apologetically before leaning against the counter and crossing his arms to wait for her to find the information.  

“According to Sagittarius company records, this particular arrow is part of a bundle shipment of 200 units. That shipment was sent to 10245 Wharf Rd.”

He shook his head, “Have I mentioned how remarkable you are?”

She bit her lip, “Once or twice.”

Walking away to grab his bow he asked, “You want to go down there with me?”

She shrugged, “I’ve got nothing better to do.”

* * *

 

“Well that probably could have gone better…” Felicity commented, brushing soot off of her jacket as they hobbled down the stairs of the foundry.

The warehouse had ended up being a trap and they had very narrowly avoided being roasted when a bomb set the entire place ablaze. She winced as her brain started to catch up with the pain in her body from flinging herself out onto the street.

Once they were down the stairs and in better lighting Oliver glanced over at her and a concerned look passed over his face.

He reached for her hand, “Come here.”

She let him gently tug her over to the medical table and she perched herself on the edge, “What’s wrong? I mean besides the fact that I’m definitely going to have a few bruises and we’ve hit a dead end on this copycat….”

“You’ve got a gash on your face, I think you were hit with a piece of shrapnel when I blew open the door,” he explained.

She reached up and touched it gingerly, coming away with blood and soot on her fingertips, “Ouch.”

“Yeah, let’s get that cleaned up,” he muttered, grabbing some of his supplies.

Gently, he wiped the soot from her face with a warm washcloth before carefully cleaning the wound. His face was so close to hers, his breath tickling her cheeks as he leaned in to apply the butterfly tape.

“All good?” she asked breathily when he pulled his hands away from her face and bracketed them on the table on either side of her legs, his nearness making her heart start to speed up.

His eyes didn’t quite meet hers, she felt like they were fixated on a spot above her eyebrows, but he maintained his close proximity and she could tell that he was lost in thought. He looked tired too. If she tilted her head back a fraction of an inch she would be able to trail kisses along his jawline, and at the moment she was tempted to do just that.  

“Oliver?” she whispered. She needed him to move before she did something she would regret. Or worse, do something she shouldn’t without feeling any regret.

“Sorry,” he shook his head, standing up straight and moving back away from her. “Just trying to figure out what our next move should be. You’re not hurt anywhere else are you?”

“No, I’m fine. Thank you for taking care of this,” she gestured to her face. “And I think your next move should be going home and enjoying some time with your family like you said you would. There’s not much we can do until this archer shows up again.”

He sighed, “You’re right.”  

“Oh, and you never mentioned what happened with Digg. I mean, we’re not in jail so that’s a good sign but…”

“He resigned from his position and I haven’t spoken to him since then.”

She shot him a look.

“I know that I should talk to him and I know what you said about making him believe in the mission, I just,” he paused and took a deep breath. “I’m just not ready to be shut down again.”

She scooted herself off the edge of the table and stood in front of him, “That’s assuming he will shut you down. He didn’t turn you into the police, which makes me think that maybe he reconsidered his original “murderer and criminal” position.”

He looked at her skeptically. “You,” She tapped his chest, “have a way of winning people over.”

From the expression on his face she didn’t think that he quite believed her and she wondered if he was still struggling to step back into his old relationships. They hadn’t talked much about it lately. She had been trying to bridge the gap between them again but she was stuck tip-toeing around her feelings for him and it made it difficult.

She wanted to give him a hug. He needed a hug. She needed a hug.

Instead she stepped backwards, muttering something about letting him get home, and heading towards the stairs to go shower and remove the layer of grime from her skin that one accumulates when fleeing an explosion.

* * *

 

Felicity wandered down to the basement on December the 22rd, a mug of coffee clutched in her hand, attempting to motivate herself for her morning workout. Oliver had been pretty MIA for the past few days as he planned the Christmas party so she had spent a lot of time alone. And a lot of time avoiding the un-cracked files. She knew she was being ridiculous and that she needed to know what had happened, especially if people were in danger, but living in her fantasy world where she had a wedding to think about made her reality a lot easier to handle. The second she had to face the truth, that Cooper was not only dead, but might have also brought about his own death because he wasn’t the man she thought he was, the bubble would pop, the illusion would be gone and all she would have left was her lonely world. As much as she told herself that she could move away and leave the painful memories behind once this was all settled, she also knew that it would be hard to leave the best parts of what she had here.

Mostly just the one best part.

Passing her desk, she noticed a small wrapped package out of the corner of her eye and she swiveled on her feet to turn back and check it out.

There was a note taped to the top and she recognized Oliver’s handwriting.

_A little late, but Happy Hanukkah. Thank you for everything._

_-Oliver_

_PS: Don’t eat dinner, I’ll bring you some leftover food from the party tonight._

She carefully ripped the paper off of the box and opened it. Inside was a tiny little arrowhead suspended on a fine silver chain. Pulling it out, she held the necklace up and the dim light of the basement reflected off of it.

_It was beautiful._

Upon closer inspection, she had a feeling, based on the way that it was fashioned, that Oliver had made it. Tears slid down her cheeks and her chest filled with warmth as she clasped it around her neck. He had a million things on his mind and yet he had still taken the time to make sure she had a present to open this year. He’d taken the time to make her feel important. She felt guilty that she couldn’t get him anything, but she didn’t exactly have many options for procuring anything without him footing the bill.

A quiet voice in the back of her head told her that he might be happy just knowing that he had her heart, but she resolutely ignored it.

Instead, she threw herself into her workout. Today was the day, she had decided when she woke up, that she was going to attempt the salmon ladder. A part of her wanted to wait for Oliver to be there, but she decided it would be better to try first while she was alone and make sure she could definitely do it before she tried to show off. Not that she was trying to show off for him or anything. Well… maybe a little bit. But mostly she just liked seeing that look of pride on his face whenever she mastered something new. Wrapping her hands around the bar, she started to swing, building up momentum. When she figured she was ready, she shot her arms upwards and felt a rush of satisfaction when she felt the clink of the bar notching into the next set of rungs. Not wanting to lose momentum, she got herself up into the next level before dropping to the ground, her arms burning but a grin on her face. At the beginning of her training, the salmon ladder seemed like something she would never be able to accomplish. Sure, she hadn’t gone all the way to the top, but it was a start. It was a benchmark in her progress and she was proud of herself.

Later, when Oliver brought the promised food over, she would be sure to show him.

Another thought passed through her mind though. It was more than likely that there would be single women at this party tonight. Wealthy scions, daughters of his parents’ friends, the type of women that Oliver Queen should be dating. The kind of women she had told him he should find.

What if he didn’t end up back at the foundry tonight after all?

Telling him that he should find someone to share his life with that actually could have a real life was one thing, but dealing with the thought of it actually happening was another. Despite what she had told him, since she had first woken up in the foundry she had gotten used to being “his girl.”  Even though she knew it was selfish, because she couldn’t give him what he deserved, she wasn’t ready to be replaced, wasn’t ready for him to not need her companionship as much.  

She shook her head, pushing the thoughts away. She should be grateful for what she did have, which was far more freedom than she would have in prison, and a friend, whom she wanted only the best for.

Oh, and her alternate reality she was stubbornly clinging to where she still had her life with Cooper.

It was hard to explain how she could have feelings for two people at once, especially considering that one was dead and the other she had been the one to push away. She supposed it was because they both represented a life outside of these four walls that she couldn’t have. She could never go back to the way her life was before Cooper’s death, and she couldn’t move forward and rebuild a new life here with Oliver either. She was just stuck in the middle, holding on to whatever she could have of both, her memories of Cooper and her _friendship that was more than just a friendship_ with Oliver.

If she found out what happened with Cooper, got closure on that, and then lost Oliver….

She didn’t want to leave until Oliver was ready to hang up the hood permanently, because she liked to think that he relied on her and it was safer for her to stay hidden here, but she wasn’t sure how long she could last before she needed something more than this.  

She had a strong suspicion that Oliver wasn’t completely alone the entire time he was away, but she wondered how he dealt with the times that he was. Although, Oliver’s emotional health wasn’t exactly something to strive for, so she wasn’t sure that taking pointers from him would be best.

She reached for her case of throwing knives. There had been entirely too much thinking and not enough doing going on. Her fear of abandonment had kept a vice grip on her heart ever since the day her father had walked out the door, and it was clenching tighter the longer she let her mind wander.

Gripping one of the knives in her hand and sending it sailing into the wall, she made herself forget about potentially criminal ex-boyfriend-almost-fiancés and Oliver’s potential new girlfriend.

* * *

 

Settling into her chair that evening and flipping on the news, her attention was caught immediately.

“Oh no…” she muttered, reaching for her phone. “Pick up, pick up, pick--- Oliver?”

“What’s wrong?” he asked, and she could hear the sounds of the party very faintly in the distance.

“You might want to turn on the news…”

She heard the sound of the report she was watching echoing through the phone.

_“Happy Holidays Starling City. For the past 3 months, this city has been laid siege by a vigilante, but the police have been unable to bring him to justice because they lack the will to do what justice demands,” the woman being held hostage paused her reading for a second to choke back a sob. “I will kill one hostage every hour in the name of this vigilante until he surrenders himself to my authority.”_

“The police are on the scene, maybe we should let them handle it,” she suggested warily, beginning to regret pulling him away from the party.

“Those people are there because of me, I have to end this.”

Her stomach clenched nervously, “Oliver… this archer… he seems really dangerous.”

“There wasn’t anything on the island that wasn’t twice as dangerous as this pretender and I survived there, for five years.”

“Fine, but I’m meeting you there and backing you up.”

“Absolutely not. It’s me that he wants, I need to do this alone.”

“Oliver... you know full well you can’t stop me from showing up there. At least let me just be around the area so that if you need back-up, I’m there.”  

She wasn’t sure how helpful she could be against a master archer if Oliver’s assessment of him was correct, and she had a feeling that this was one of those situations that she was still likely to be a liability in, but she couldn’t just sit here and do nothing knowing he was going into a dangerous situation alone. When he agreed to be partners, this is what he signed himself up for.

She heard him let out a frustrated sigh, “Ok. I’m swinging by to suit up, so be ready.”

As soon as he hung up, she ran upstairs to pull on her pants and jacket. She was smearing greasepaint across her eyes when Oliver came bursting through the door.

“How was the party going?” she asked as he brushed past her.

“Not well,” he bit out.

She knew that there was no point in responding to that.

He disappeared into the bathroom and reemerged a minute later, only needing the greasepaint himself before he would be ready to go.

“Felicity.”

“Mhmm…”

He was rubbing his fingers together and his eyes didn’t meet hers, “In case something goes wrong, you should---“

“No,” she shook her head, interrupting him. “We’re not discussing this, because we’re both making it back here tonight.”

He looked up at her and she took a step closer to him, “Promise me.”

“Let’s go,” he replied, brushing past her and she bit her lip.

That’s not what she needed to hear.  

* * *

 

There were few things that one could face that would be more blood-chillingly terrifying than seeing your boyfriend bleeding out in your foyer, Felicity rationalized. It was how she had learned to put some of her other fears in perspective and keep them from holding her back.

Sitting in a dark alley though, waiting to hear from Oliver, she was very afraid.

The hostages had appeared on the roof what felt like hours ago even if she knew it couldn’t have been longer than fifteen minutes.

She had never let herself think about what would happen to her if something happened to Oliver. He seemed almost invincible, and other than the brief scare with the poisoning the other day, she had never been given reason to worry that he wouldn’t be okay every time he went out in the field or they went out together. Something about this copycat archer though, made goosebumps spread across her arms and sent her heart racing. The people they had faced so far, she knew that they were no match for Oliver. Billionaires in their ivory towers with their rent-a-thug security details had no chance. Even the lunatic criminals like the Count and Cyrus Vance were beatable. But as someone who had recently picked up archery and knew how insanely hard it was, how much dedication and skill it took to just passably wield a bow like she did, let alone reach Oliver’s level of mastery, she knew that this archer was no common foe.

And for as much faith as she had in Oliver, she had bitten her lip to shreds as she tried to remain calm. Suddenly, her fear of “losing” him to a girlfriend seemed really trivial.

More time passed before she heard a crackle over her earpiece and she stiffened in alertness.

“Felicity?” she heard him groan, followed by a thud.

For a second, she was paralyzed, transported in her mind back to the night that had changed her life. The thud echoed in her mind like it did when Cooper had hit the ground and it was all she could do not to picture Oliver lifeless in a puddle of blood.

No. He was still okay. He had to be. She just needed to find him.

Slipping her tablet out of her quiver, she pulled up the program for locating him by the gps tracker in his boot. The little dot of light signifying his location was in an alleyway a block away and she took off running in that direction.

It was dark, but she was still able to make out his form crumpled on the ground and she dropped to her knees beside him.

“Oliver?”

She reached out for a pulse and was alarmed by how weak it felt. Arrows were sticking out of his body and even in the dim lighting she could see bruises starting to form on his face. He had taken a serious beating.

She cradled his face in her hands and whispered, “Please stay with me.”

He needed to go to the hospital, she was certain that his injuries were far beyond what she could handle with the limited experience she had had recently with patching up some minor wounds. It wasn’t like she could just call up an ambulance or waltz into Starling General with him, there were secret identities to maintain.  She needed to figure something out though, and fast.

An idea hit her, and even though she knew it was a huge risk, it was the only thing she could think to do. With a few taps on her tablet, she had what she needed and called the number.

“Hello?”

“John… this is Felicity, Oliver’s friend?”

“How did you get this number?” he asked gruffly.

_Not legally._

“That’s not important. What’s important is that Oliver needs you.”

“Yeah, I’ve already made myself pretty clear on where I stand---“

“No,” she interrupted him, her hand splayed out on Oliver’s chest, feeling his chest rise and fall ever so slightly with shallow breaths. “You don’t understand….”


	14. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fun chapter for me because it brings in one of my favorite "villains of the week" from season one, enjoy! (Sorry I didn't get a chance to reply to comments last week, things were a little crazy but I read all of them and as always your feedback means a lot!)

_The last thing Oliver remembered before everything went black was saying her name._

_When he slowly blinked his eyes open and they became accustomed to the bright lighting he was surprised to find Digg standing over him and not her._

_“Hey relax,” Digg cautioned when he tried to move and he felt searing pain shooting through his entire body. “Just relax. You’re safe, you’re in the hospital.”_

_“Wha—“_

_“Your little blonde friend made the right call.”_

_“Where is she? Is she okay?” he asked frantically._

_“She was pretty rattled when I got to you two, but she’s safe. She explained what happened and we you cleaned up as best as we could before I brought you here. You have a pneumothorax, three broken ribs, and a concussion, but the doctor said you’re going to be fine.”_

_He sunk back into the pillows, “Thank you. I didn’t think that you—“_

_“We’ll talk about it later. For now, some people are here to see you…”_

_Oliver exhaled sharply as his family walked through the door, he wasn’t sure how he was going to explain this to them._

_“Are you alright?” his mother asked._

_Thea’s face scrunched up, “You look terrible.”_

_“Well, thank God you were wearing your helmet,” Walter commented._

_Oliver glanced over at Digg and raised an eyebrow._

_What?_

_“I told them how you were on your bike and a semi pulled out right in front of you.”_

_“I appreciate you coming to check in on him even though he’s no longer your responsibility.” Moira replied before looking down at Oliver and shaking her head, “What were you even doing out?”_

_“You bailed on your party,” Thea interjected._

_He sighed, “It seemed like the right move. I mean, like you said, it wasn’t the best timing.”_

_“Ok, but when I was saying that, that was me being a bitch,” Thea explained._

_“Oh, the truth is, I don’t think any of us were at our best,” Moira remarked. “Things have been a little rough for this family lately, which is why I was planning on us all taking a little trip to the house in Aspen for a few days, but obviously that won’t be happening now.”_

_Oliver tilted his head apologetically, “Oh, well you three should still go. I don’t want to ruin something else.”_

_Moira looked at him skeptically, “I don’t want to leave you…”_

_“I’m going to be fine, it seems like I’m just going to be stuck at home for some time. Raisa will take good care of me.”_

_She pursed her lips before glancing at Thea and Walter, “Well, we’ll discuss it. For now, you just get some rest.”_

_She leaned down to kiss him on the forehead and Oliver smiled weakly at her before she disappeared through the doorway with Walter. Thea hung back and stepped closer to him, a mischievous grin on her face._

_“So,” she rocked back and forth on her heels. “We never got to the exchanging presents part.”_

_He chuckled self-deprecatingly, “I don’t think that I deserve a present.”_

_Her face grew serious, “Look, I know that I’ve been hard on you, about being different from the way you were. But the truth is Ollie, I’m not the same person I was five years ago either.”_

_“So maybe we can just accept each other, not for who we were, but for the people we are now?”_

_She nodded, “Yeah.”_

_“And Thea? I took your advice, about letting someone in.” He sighed, “At least, I’m trying.”_

_Things weren’t quite the same as before, but Felicity was still the person he could be the most honest with, the person he could rely on when everything else seemed to be crumbling around him. It was hard to see the way that she had withdrawn into herself because she didn’t think that she was what he needed anymore. He just didn’t know how to show her that she was wrong, that he did need her, and he also wanted more. There were too many times that he was lying in his bed at the mansion, unable to sleep and wishing for the nights that they used to curl up together. Too many times that he would walk into the foundry and want to kiss her hello. Too many times that he wanted to tell her that she could tell him where she went when she got that pained, far off look in her eyes. Too many times that he would head for the shower after a training session and want to pull her in with him……_

_“Oh?”_

_Thea’s voice snapped him back to his present situation._

_“Mhmm.”_

_“Good. I am full of wisdom so you really should listen to me more often. Any chance this person is a she?”_

_He couldn’t keep the small smile off his face and knew that gave Thea all the answer she needed when she smirked._

_“Well I’m a little sad that I haven’t gotten to meet her yet, but I want you to know that I’m totally an expert on trendy places to propose.”_

_The smile slid from his face, “It’s not like that, it’s… complicated.”_

_She rolled her eyes, “Is everything complicated with you lately?”_

_He sighed and she offered him a look of sympathy, seemingly remembering their earlier promise._

_“Hey, I know what will make you feel better.” She pulled out two candy canes from behind her back and he laughed, remembering their earlier conversation about their contests when they were younger and accepting one of them from her._

_“No cheating,” he warned her._

_“You’re on.”_

* * *

 

_After Thea left, Digg came back into the room and sat down in one of the chairs by his bed._

_“I think I owe you a second chance to explain what you think you’re doing here.”_

_“Because you’re considering my offer?”_

_“Offer?” Digg scoffed, “That’s one way to put it.”_

_“It is an offer,” Oliver replied, carefully easing himself into a more seated position. “It’s a chance to do the kind of good that compelled you to join the military.”_

_“So you say, but I still don’t see what your motive is.”_

_“My father--- he had a notebook with him, I found it when I buried him.”_

_“I thought you said your father died when the boat went down?”_

_“We both made it to a life raft, but there wasn’t enough food and water for both of us, so he shot himself in the head. And as much as he was doing it to give me a chance to survive, I believe that he was also atoning for his sins.” He paused and took a deep breath before continuing, “I need to right the wrongs done by my family, that’s my motive. The notebook contains a list of the people--- people like my father, who see nothing wrong with raising themselves up by stepping on other people’s throats. I think the list represents something else too, something bigger and there’s a connection with some information that Felicity is working on, but for now what I do know is that these people are poisoning this city. It needs to stop, and if it’s not going to be the courts, and it’s not going to be the cops, then it’s going to be me.”_

_“You and Felicity. What’s her deal anyway?” Digg asked._

_“Wrongly charged guilty with the crime of murdering her boyfriend in an open and shut case.”_

_A look of recognition passed over Digg’s face, “Oh yeah, I remember that being on the news a few months ago. I thought she died in a prison transport accident?”_

_Oliver sighed, “To the rest of the world, she is dead. Laurel was representing her, believed her innocence and came to me. I saw to it that she was given an opportunity to help other people get the justice that she was deprived of and that’s what I’m offering you. The police never caught your brother’s shooter, did they?”_

_Digg leaned back and crossed his arms, “What does Andy have to do with this?”_

_“The sniper that I stopped the other night, Floyd Lawton, his M.O was curare laced bullets.”_

_Digg exhaled sharply, “Are you telling me that my brother’s killer is dead?”_

_Oliver shook his head, “Look, I’m just trying to give you the same chance I gave Felicity, a chance to help other people and their families.”_

_Digg stood up, “I don’t know man; I need some time to think about this.”_

_Oliver nodded, “Okay. And thank you, again, for tonight.”_

_He patted his knee, “You never leave a fellow solider out to dry.”_

_Before he was out the door, Oliver spoke up, “Wait, do you mind cracking the window?”_

_“Oliver, it’s the middle of winter.”_

_“I know. It’s just in case she—“he dropped off his sentence. He liked to think that she would need to come see him, knew that he needed to see her, but…_

_“Ahh,” Digg nodded, walking over to the window. “Hopefully she shows up soon or it’s going to get cold in here.”_

Felicity checked the room number that Oliver had texted her one last time before counting the windows on the exterior of the hospital. When she identified the one she was looking for, she looked around to make sure the street was still vacant before drawing one of the tension cord arrows.

Waiting at the foundry to hear from Oliver, Digg, _someone_ , had been torture. The feeling of uncertainty had been claustrophobic as she paced around like she had so often chastised Oliver for doing.

When she had finally gotten a text from Oliver that he was fine, accompanied by his room location, she sucked in what felt like her first real breath in hours before hopping on her bike and heading for the hospital.  

Letting her arrow fly, she watched in disappointment as it failed to notch in the ledge she was aiming for and stepped out of the way as it clattered back to the street.

“Frack,” she muttered, before lining herself up for another attempt. Her hands were shaking nervously and she took a few calming breaths before shooting.

This time the arrow landed exactly where she wanted and she slammed her eyes shut as she was zipped up the side of the building. Once she felt the tension lessening, she opened her eyes again to reach up for the ledge. Pushing the window open, she pulled herself through and, to her relief, found herself in Oliver’s room and not a stranger’s.

“Hey?” she whispered, approaching his bed.

“Hey,” he responded, tiredly.

She sunk into the chair next to him and reached over to cover one of his bruised hands with hers. 

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that question?”

He shrugged, “I’m fine.”

“But you weren’t fine and I thought—“she swallowed, tears starting to sting at her eyes, and dipped her head. “I’ve already lost just about everything this year and just thinking about losing you I---”

“Hey.” He moved his other hand over to cup her chin and lift her face up to look at him, “You’re not going to lose me. Okay?”

She nodded, sniffling and blinking back tears. The events of the night had made it hard for her to ignore the little voice in her head that said that he had her heart, that what she felt for him was love. On the ground in that dark alleyway, begging him to stay with her, she had felt that same pain as when she had knelt beside Cooper’s body. It wasn’t just because she was grateful for him or because she had a simple desire to not be left alone in this world, it was pain that could only be brought on by the fear of the person you love dying in your arms. 

She just wished that things were different. That she could tell him.

His fingers trailed down her neck and found the chain of her necklace, tugging it gently from where it was tucked into her jacket.

She looked down at the pendant, “I didn’t get a chance to thank you earlier, with things being so chaotic. I love it, but you didn’t have to---”

He interrupted her, “I didn’t want you to feel forgotten. I know what it’s like when everyone thinks you’re dead. I wasn’t sure what to get you, seeing as I’ve basically given you free reign with my credit card, but I am pretty good at making arrowheads.” He dipped his head shyly, his hand falling away, “I’m glad you like it.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes, her fingers gently tracing over his knuckles, but it wasn’t an awkward silence like they had experienced so often in the past weeks. It was a silence that spoke to the comfort that they found in just being safe and still and together. A silence like when they had curled into each other to keep the nightmares away. A silence like when they would end a morning run at the abandoned building in the Glades with the rooftop that was perfect for watching the sunrise. It was that silence that she had tried to avoid ever since she had realized that they were going down a path that they couldn’t.

“You know, Felicity, how when I confront somebody on the list, I tell them that they failed the city?”

She looked up at him, “Yeah, I’m still waiting for when you’re going to let me say it.”

The corners of his mouth ticked upward but he shook his head, “Tonight it was me who failed.”

She sighed, “Oliver, five hostages are home tonight with their families enjoying the holidays, because of you.” She patted his chest, “This guy, the other archer, he won’t be able to beat you again.”

“The other archer told me that somebody compiled the list, and that he wanted me dead. I always assumed that it was my father, but that changes things if it wasn’t. There’s definitely something bigger at play and someone out there who’s even more dangerous than this archer…”

She nodded, “And what if Cooper somehow stumbled upon this “bigger thing”? That would explain the symbol from the notebook being in his files. His plan with my virus could somehow have been connected with whatever is going on with this list of Starling’s most evil…” Pressing a palm to her forehead, she sighed, “I need to get into those files, don’t I?”

“I don’t want to push you if you’re not ready…”

She sniffled, “It’s stupid, but I’m just afraid of the truth and I’m pretty sure that’s what’s holding me back from being able to get through, more so than the actual encryptions.”

“Hey, we don’t know what happened. It’s likely that he just discovered something he shouldn’t have and paid the price, not that he was involved with it. The list was compiled at least five years ago.”

“I know. But I also know that while we were in college, Cooper flirted with the law, a lot. He always had good intentions and I don’t think he would ever want to hurt anyone, he was just misguided sometimes in what it meant to be a hero and I, more often than not, got swept along with it. I made him promise me that we would put all of that behind us when we moved to Starling and I thought he was okay with that, but if he saw an opportunity…” She shook her head, “I don’t know.”

“Trust me, I understand. It was hard for me to learn that my father wasn’t the man I thought he was, but it was knowing the truth that allowed me start trying to make things right. Why don’t you give yourself through the end of the year? I think we could both use some time to regroup. The list, the files, they’re not going anywhere.”

She quirked an eyebrow teasingly, “You’re actually suggesting taking a holiday like a normal person?”

“The pneumothorax, broken ribs, and concussion made that decision for me,” he grumbled. “I talked to Digg by the way, presented my offer again.”

“And?”

“He said he would think about it.”

“Well that’s better than no, and he did help me get you here tonight without blowing your cover. I told you he would come around eventually.”

The sound of a nurse walking down the hallway made her realize that her visit needed to come to an end.

Without thinking, she leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to his forehead before standing up to head out the window.

“See ya soon,” she said with a wave, before turning to rappel down and missing the small smile that flickered across his face as he reached up to touch the spot where her lips had just been.

* * *

 

_One Week Later…_

“Did you sleep here?” Felicity asked as she descended the stairs to the basement, noticing the rumpled blanket on the cot.

He glanced over at her from where he was sorting out his arrows, “My family is at our vacation home in Aspen and now that I’m off bed rest I didn’t feel like spending another night in a big, mostly empty house.”

“Oh.”

She didn’t know why it mattered. Even if she had known that he was here it wasn’t like she could have invited him up to her room. Just as it wasn’t like she could tell him that she loved him and that his near-death the other night had terrified her even more than she had already admitted to him.

Though she couldn’t quite put her finger on it, she felt like something about her mindset had changed that night in the hospital… and yet nothing about their situation had changed at all, so it didn’t matter.

Settling into her chair, she flipped on the morning news.

_“At this time we’d like to remind the public that we are coordinating our efforts with Interpol as the Dodger operates primarily in Europe, and they have advised us to warn the public that he is to be considered armed and extremely dangerous.”_

Her curiosity piqued, she searched for more information on this “Dodger” while the news story continued.

“I know that detective,” Oliver commented, coming up behind her. “McKenna Hall.”

“An old friend?”

He huffed in reminiscent amusement, “You could say that. Also, she was on the team that helped with the Vertigo clean-up.”

“She’s pretty,” she remarked as she scanned her computer screen. “Ahh, here we go. Apparently they call him “The Dodger” because he avoids getting his hands dirty. He uses hostages to do his stealing for him.”

“How?”

“Puts a bomb collar around their necks. It says here that last year, a guy in Madrid didn’t steal what the Dodger told him to, and it took his head off. Literally.”

Oliver exhaled sharply and she spun around in her chair, “And now the psycho’s in Starling City.”

“What do you think? You ready to get back out there?” Oliver asked.

She looked up at him, “Tracking down a hostage taking jewel thief? I can’t think of any better way to start off the year. Are you sure you’re up for it though? With just being in the hospital and everything…”

He shrugged, “I heal quickly.”

She raised an eyebrow at him, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I’m serious, I’m fine. I’m tired of sitting around doing nothing.”

“Okay… whatever you say.” Standing up, she wandered over to the salmon ladder and grabbed the bar, “So what’s our plan?”

His eyes widened as she began to ascend, “When did you…?”

She dropped to the ground and took a deep breath, “The night of your Christmas party. I sort of forgot to tell you with everything that happened. Does this qualify me as a real vigilante now?”

She flexed a muscle at him and gave him her most intimidating expression.

He cracked an amused and proud smile, “Definitely. So to catch this guy, we need to either figure out where he is, or where he’s going to be.”

“Your pal McKenna said that they were working with Interpol. I can work up some tech for you to slip into her phone, it will turn into a micro transmitter and, boom, we’ll learn everything she knows.”

“And how do you propose I get access to her phone?”

She shrugged, “Distract her with some flirty-flirt.”

His ears turned red, “Umm…”

“Oliver, you have to have other methods of getting information in your repertoire than just putting the fear of God into people to make them talk. You can’t have completely forgotten how to be a ladies man while you were away and trust me, as long as she has working eyes, she’ll find you distracting.”

Now she was turning red too.

“Anyway, so I’m going to put together a list of things that I need you to get me from QC and once I have those I can assemble the tech and… yeah.”  

He looked at her skeptically before finally nodding, “Okay.”

* * *

 

Felicity looked up from her desk the next day to see Oliver walk in accompanied by Digg.

She stood up and extended a hand tentatively, “It’s good to see you again. Under less traumatic circumstances.”

He had been a comforting presence and an invaluable help on the night of Oliver’s run in with the archer. Oliver was right that he would make a good addition to their little team and she had hoped that he might change his mind about their line of work. She liked the idea of having someone else around to talk to.   

She let out a small exhale of relief as he shook her hand warmly, “Likewise. Oliver tells me the two of you are tracking down the Dodger.”

She nodded, “We are. Are you going to help?”

“If you’ll have me.”

“We’d love that.” She glanced over at Oliver and he nodded in confirmation.

Digg spoke up again, “I want to apologize for the way that I misjudged you---“

She waved her hand dismissively, “No need to apologize, it certainly wasn’t the first time that’s happened to me recently.”

“Still, it wasn’t fair of me. Oliver told me what happened with your boyfriend and I’m sorry that you had to go through all of that.”

“Some days are easier than others, but wounds do heal with time.” She shrugged, “And I’m fortunate that I had a lawyer who had some good connections. Working with Oliver is a whole lot better than sitting in a cell for something I didn’t do. Plus, the food in prison was terrible.”

“Speaking of food,” Oliver stepped towards her, “We had lunch at Big Belly and I brought you your usual.”

She took the bag and milkshake from him gratefully and pulled out a handful of french fries.

“And, I got the bug placed on McKenna’s phone,” he reported, dropping his jacket on the counter.

“How’d that go?” she asked, sitting back down in her chair and opening up the program to tap into the transmitter while she ate her lunch.

“Planting it? Wasn’t a problem. And it was good to see her again, but it was a little awkward. I wasn’t sure how to end the conversation and make it seem like there was a point to me dropping in randomly.”

She attempted to keep her voice as even as possible, “Well what was stopping you from at least asking her out for a drink?”

_Besides the obvious reason, namely being me._

This is what she didn’t want to be getting in the way of, even though at the same time she selfishly wasn’t quite ready to watch it happen.

She looked up at him and his facial expression was difficult to read.

“Because she… I… you, uhh—“He looked back and forth between her and Digg awkwardly before muttering, “It’s just not the right time for that.”

Digg raised an eyebrow at the two of them but they were relieved from the tension by a call coming in over McKenna’s phone.

_“Lance.”_

_“Sergeant, it’s Detective Hall. I have an update on the Dodger case.”_

Oliver and Digg walked over to stand on either side of her and listen in.

_“A body was found in an art gallery shot point blank. There were three other men there, all rendered unconscious by a highly focused electric current to the heart.”_

_“Same M.O as that guard at the museum. Got an ID on the victim?”_

_“His name is Cass Derenick.”_

“Pause it,” Oliver requested. “Who’s Cass Derenick?”

She pulled up a search and scanned the police records.

“Arrest, possession of stolen goods. Arrest, conspiracy. Conviction, attempted sale of stolen goods,” she muttered.

“This guy’s a fence,” Digg commented. “The Dodger must be looking to unload the Sherwood Ruby that he had stolen the other day.”

“Which means he’ll be in the market for a new fence,” she added. “One he hasn’t, you know, killed.”

Oliver nodded, “So we find the fence, and we find the Dodger.”


	15. Chapter 14

_He slid a picture across the desk and the young man looked down at it._

_“What’s this for?” he asked defensively._

_“Just a little insurance policy on my part. A reminder of what--” He tapped the photograph of the smiling blonde, “Sorry, who, you stand to lose should your convictions waver.”_

_“She stays out of this, I promise you she knows nothing. If you so much as touch her, it’s over. I won’t help you and I’ll go to the authorities with what I’ve gathered.”_

_“Brave words, you must really love her if you’re willing to sacrifice everything you’ve accomplished so far for her.”_

_He narrowed his eyes, “You’re not going to go near her, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”_

_“I would hope not... as long as she’s not as apt as you are to poking her nose in places it doesn’t belong.”_

_The ring box weighed heavily in his pocket and his stomach filled with unease as he looked down again at the picture of his girlfriend. The doubts that had filled him over the past weeks about continuing with all of this threatened to spill over, but he didn’t see a way out now without risking her life._

_“Do we have an understanding?” the man asked._

_He swallowed and nodded._

_He crumpled the picture and tossed it in the trash can next to his desk, “Good.”_

Felicity gripped her bow tightly as they watched from the scaffolding as the SCPD stormed the warehouse where the sale was taking place. Thanks to the bug on McKenna’s phone they had been privy to the same lead that the police had gotten on the Dodger.

The sound of gunshots was deafening from below them and she felt Oliver wrap a protective arm around her as some ricocheted close to where they were concealed.

“The Dodger’s on the move, let’s go,” he directed and they headed for the window closest to them. He jumped first down onto the lower roof of the adjacent building and she followed, letting him catch her securely in his arms because she hadn’t quite mastered his catlike ability to not face plant.

“Nice catch,” she remarked as he sat her down. 

As soon as the Dodger burst through the door, they were waiting for him, arrows drawn.  

“Come quietly,” Oliver growled in warning.

“I’m afraid I’ll have to decline,” he shot back, looking up at them.

“Then I’m afraid you won’t be going to jail.”

_Okay we are going from zero to sixty right here, right now._

Oliver shot an arrow down at him and he swerved out of the way, running for cover behind a dumpster.

“Follow me,” he called to her and he took off, jumping down the rest of the buildings.

She took the stairs that wrapped around the exterior of the building like a normal person who didn’t want to break all of their bones.

But she took them three at a time because she’s a badass.

Once they were on the ground, they began to approach the dumpster slowly. A beeping noise resonated in her ears and she grabbed Oliver’s arm just in time to pull him away as an explosive was tossed at them. The blast sent them reeling backwards and she found herself flat on the street with Oliver on top of her, shielding her from the fire that blazed nearby from some crates.

Oliver rolled off of her and stood up, grunting in frustration as he realized that the Dodger had gotten away.

“Are you alright?” he asked, extending a hand to help her up.

“Yeah, I’m fine. You?” He nodded and she assessed the dejected look on his face at their lack of success, “We’re going to get him, okay?”

Bending down, she picked up the bomb collar that had been thrown at him. “And in case it wasn’t obvious before, we definitely don’t want to end up with one of these things around our necks in the process.”

* * *

 

Digg was waiting for them when they got back to the foundry, “I heard on the news that the Dodger got away. You two alright?”

“I smell like my kitchen the last time I attempted to cook, but other than that, I’m fine,” Felicity reported, brushing some ash off of her hair. “And at the very least, between our efforts and the police’s, we managed to bust up the sale before the Dodger got paid.”

She looked over at Oliver leaning up against the counter and she could tell that he was in thinking mode.

He turned to her, “Can you pull up the police records of everything that the Dodger has had stolen so far?”

She nodded and sat down at her computer.

“What are you thinking?” Digg asked.

“We know the Dodger has a taste for a very specific type of antiquity,” Oliver commented, walking over to stand behind her.

She scanned the records that she had pulled up, “Yeah… these all look like they’re from the Ominous Decade, the last ten years of King Ferdinand’s reign.”

She glanced over her shoulder at Digg and Oliver giving her the same look.    

She shrugged, “What? I told you I was a trivia nerd before and now I literally have no life. I have time on my hands to acquire a lot of not so useless, useless information.”

“Are there any other places that sell or display items from the ominous thing?” Oliver inquired. 

“Decade,” she corrected him before looking through the websites of local museums. “And not really. I guess people in Starling City prefer the Elizabethan Era.”  

Digg huffed in amusement.  

“Wait, go back to the page you were on,” Oliver directed and she pulled up the Starling City Museum’s calendar. “The Starling City Cancer Society is holding a fundraising auction tomorrow night. We could lure him out into the open.”

She looked up at him, “With what? A fake?”

“No. The Dodger clearly has a trained eye for this sort of thing. He’s not going to fall for anything less than the genuine article.”

“If it wasn’t for the fact that I directly benefit from, and therefore am aware of, your family’s financial situation, I would ask how in the world we’re going to get our hands on a rare Spanish antiquity. But I assume this won’t be a problem?”

Oliver just shrugged, “I don’t see why it will be. Bigger problem is getting you into the event.”

“Oh… well I can just run perimeter or something and stay out of sight---“

“It’s a big space,” he interrupted her. “And, with the crowd, it will be better if all three of us are able to be anywhere we need to.”

* * *

 

Felicity adjusted her wig, a super straight almost-black-brunette bob, and took in her reflection. The sharp contrast between her pale skin and the dark hair reminded her of her old look in college. She wondered what had happened to the boxes of pictures that had been in her closet at home. A part of her wished that she had asked for Oliver to retrieve them when he went for some of her other things, the other part of her knew that they would just be another reminder of a past that it was time to let go of.

Smoothing out her gold dress and tucking her arrowhead necklace under the fabric, she grabbed her tablet before stepping into her heels. She wasn’t completely unrecognizable even with the dark hair, thick winged eyeliner that had taken her way too many tries to get right, and without her glasses, but she figured it was different enough that people wouldn’t suspect anything. Besides, the world thought she was dead, it wasn’t exactly like she was a fugitive that people were looking for.

Oliver had paid a visit to the Queen family vault for a brooch that should catch the Dodger’s eye to donate to the auction and they were hoping that he would take the bait. Digg was coming to pick them up in 10 minutes and now that she was ready, there was nothing left to do but wait and feel the excitement building inside of her at getting to step out without the cover of darkness, or without her hood and the greasepaint over her eyes. Sure, she was still in a disguise, but it was different. She felt like Cinderella, with one night to go out into the real world before the clock would strike midnight and everything would return to pumpkins and mice.

When she walked down the stairs, Oliver turned to look at her and an unreadable look passed across his face.

“What?” she looked down at her dress and reached up to her wig. “Is something wrong?”

He shook his head, “You just don’t look like you.”

He almost sounded…. _disappointed?_

She shrugged, “Well that’s a good thing, right? I mean, that’s kind of the only way that we can pull this off.”

“Yeah,” he nodded in affirmation. “It’s a good disguise. You ready?”

“Yep. At best, we’ll catch this guy, at worst, I’ll get a night out with society out of it. So I would say that it’s a win-win.” She walked over to her chair to sit down until Digg arrived. She didn’t miss the way that Oliver’s eyes zeroed in on her legs when the hemline of her dress rode up, the slit opening to reveal a lot of skin. Pretending to obliviously focus on her tablet, she waited for him to snap out of it and walk away before she dared lift her eyes.  

A few minutes later, she got a text from Digg and they went to meet him at the car in the alley.

Leaning against the car with his arms crossed, he gave her an appraising look before asking teasingly, “And who might you be?”

“Megan Cooper,” she introduced herself, extending a hand.

He nodded and shook her hand, “Nice to meet you.”  

“Likewise,” she replied with a smile.

He turned to open the door to the car for her and she slid in, Oliver joining her a moment later.

“Okay, so once we get there, I’ll be able to see if we’re getting a good read on the GPS that I installed in the brooch and I’ll be able to track it on my phone. Speaking of which, have you given any thought to what might happen if this doesn’t work and the Dodger absconds with your family jewels?”

Digg caught her eye in the rearview mirror and she cringed, “I’m sorry, that came out very wrong.”

Oliver sighed, “Let’s just keep our eyes open Felicity. Between the three of us, we shouldn’t let this guy slip.”

* * *

 

At the auction, Felicity confirmed that her GPS signal was good and they split up to cover the room. When they first got there, she was super paranoid that everyone was looking at her, that any second she was going to be led out of the building in cuffs. Once she realized that no one was paying her any mind though, she began to relax. Sipping champagne, she kept an eye on her phone while also checking out some of the artwork that was set out for the auction. She spotted Oliver across the room and for a second she let herself watch him. A few people stopped him to say hello as he walked through the room and she observed how good he was at quickly putting on his mask, the persona that was expected of him, while he spoke to them and how quickly it slipped off when he turned away and he didn’t think anyone was watching. He had told her before that she was the one person that he didn’t have to pretend with, and she hoped that was still true, even though she had a suspicion that it might not be. Sure, he didn’t have to hide his biggest secret from her, and she had gotten a little insight into the demons he wrestled with underneath the layers he had created to hide behind, but she had also told him that he couldn’t have feelings for her. And if his feelings were anything like hers, it took a lot of pretending to keep them from wreaking havoc. His reaction to her suggestion that he ask McKenna out made her think that he---

Her attention was caught by her beeping phone and she noticed that the brooch was on the move.

“Hook, line, and sinker,” she muttered, weaving in and out through the crowd until she spotted her target.

“Hey!” she called out, just loud enough for him to hear as he was slipping the brooch into his pocket.

He turned back to look at her and she stepped closer to confront him, “That brooch was donated by the Queen family. If you want it, you’re going to have to bid.”

“Actually, love, I thought I’d just take it,” he replied smoothly.

She had no idea what to do. They were in the middle of a crowded room, it wasn’t like she could fight him right there. The police were swarming around the place and she had a feeling that the Dodger wouldn’t be the only person ending up behind bars tonight if she created a scene. In hindsight, she really should have thought through her strategy before approaching him.

Before she was aware of what was happening, his hands were up around her neck and she felt cold metal against her skin.

“Such a shame to have to do this to such a pretty head. I wouldn’t call the police if I were you,” he whispered into her ear, his breath hot and uncomfortable, before disappearing into the crowd.

Panic flooded her veins at the realization of how much trouble she was in and she spun around, scanning the room for the nearest exit. Spotting it, she set off for the other side of the room, silently cursing the people with normal lives who got to enjoy a night out without having to worry about their head being blown off. She needed to get away from people, away from anyone who could get hurt if the Dodger decided to turn her into a human explosive. The other night at the warehouse had given her a pretty good idea of the kind of blast radius one of these collars had.

She was almost to the door when she bumped into Oliver and Digg.

“I think I have a problem,” she announced, pointing at the collar around her neck and attempting to get around them. 

Oliver reached out for her arm but she stepped back, “Get away from me, if this thing blows---“

“That’s not going to happen,” he interrupted her and grabbed her hand. “C’mon.”

He tugged her towards a back hallway, Digg trailing behind them, and with every step she expected them to be blown to pieces. Her heart was racing and she felt like she was being strangled even though the collar wasn’t very tight. They found an empty room and got her settled on top of a table.

She could feel herself starting to hyperventilate and she tried to take a few calming breaths so that she could speak.

“The Dodger said if I called the police, he’d--- I’m going to get decapitated, aren’t I?”

Oliver grabbed her shoulders lightly to reassure her, “The tracker’s on the move. If I find him, I can get him to disarm you. Just talk me in, and stay calm.”

She nodded and switched on her comms. Digg stepped into his place and opened up the circuit board cover on the collar to attempt to manually shut it down. 

“Go,” he directed Oliver. “Just go, go, go, go.”

Now was probably the time to say something to Oliver in case something went wrong and she didn’t make it out in one piece… but he was already gone.

She swallowed nervously and Digg patted her knee, “He’s going to get him, you’re going to be okay.”  

A few seconds later, she heard Oliver’s voice over her earpiece, “Talk to me, Felicity!”

She checked her phone, “Heading towards Adams and O’Neil. At the clip he’s going, he’s got to be in a vehicle.”

“I’m mobile. Where is he?”

She reached for her bag and slipped out her tablet.

“Felicity?”

“First time anyone’s ever been grateful for traffic cameras,” she muttered to herself while she got into what she needed. “Okay, he’s one block from your position. If you cut through Harris Plaza, you’ll end up right behind him.”

She watched on the feed as he followed her instructions.

“Where is he now?” Oliver asked.

Peering closely at the screen, she identified the car, “I got him. Gray sedan driving north, at the light ahead of you…. Dead ahead. Good…. Okay, hard right.”

“Got him.”

She watched as Oliver chased after him, creating a mass of destruction in the streets in their wake, until the Dodger’s car flipped and Oliver slowly approached him.  

The Dodger crawled out of the car and pulled a remote out of his pocket, “Don’t do anything stupid. I had the foresight to collar up a particularly inquisitive young lady. I assume she’s a friend of yours.”

Felicity heard Digg scoff as he continued his inspection of the collar.

“What?” she whispered.

“I think friendship is not a complicated enough label to put on you and Oliver’s relationship and I’ve only been around for a few days,” he commented.

She ignored him and continued to watch the confrontation play out on her screen.

“Touch one hair on my head, and she loses hers,” the Dodger threatened and she felt her stomach twist into an even tighter knot than it already was. “You’ve got quite the choice to make, don’t you?”

“Not this time,” Oliver replied and she watched as he tossed one of his flechettes. “Your median nerve’s been severed. You couldn’t push that button if you tried.”

Oliver stepped forward and slipped the remote out of his hand. Felicity held her breath as her collar started beeping and released it in a gasp when the collar opened up. Digg reached up to pull it off of her and she touched her neck in relief.

* * *

 

Felicity pulled Oliver’s jacket around her tighter as she watched the city lights streak by through the car window. After he had made it back to the auction, all three of them had been more than ready to leave.  

She could feel Oliver’s eyes on her and he finally spoke up, “I know you were excited about getting out of the foundry tonight and it wasn’t exactly a great experience… do you want to spend the night at my house?”

She looked over at him, “What?”

“We have a ton of guest rooms and my family’s still away, so no one’s there to raise any questions… But if tonight was too much and you want to be in your own bed--- I don’t know, I just thought you might like a change of scenery.”

“Yeah… that would be nice,” she replied with a small smile. She had grown accustomed to her apartment but sometimes it still felt like a prison cell. To have a night where she could feel like she lived in a real house again…

Oliver caught Digg’s eye in the rearview mirror and he nodded, turning the car, “Re-routing.”

So they weren’t going to be stopping for her to pack an overnight bag… frankly, she was way too tired to care. Before she had been so wound up, but now that she was safely in the car with all her body parts still intact, she felt like she could honestly just fall asleep in her dress.

They pulled into the driveway at the Queen Mansion and her eyes widened. This was not a real house. If she was Cinderella, she was getting to stay in the castle ahead of the usual plot. The various houses she grew up in could probably all fit inside of it with room to spare. It’s not that she wasn’t aware how rich Oliver’s family was, but seeing their home in person was just---

“Wow,” she mouthed as Digg stopped the car and opened the door for her to step out.

Oliver walked around the car and turned to Digg, “We’ll call you in the morning….” He looked down at her, “But I think we’re going to be taking the day off.”

She nodded in agreement and then wondered what Digg was thinking about this. His comment about their relationship being more complicated than a friendship…. Did he think they were planning on spending the night together, like _together_ , together?

She felt Oliver reach for her hand to walk them towards the front door while Digg drove away…

Did _he_ think they were spending the night _together_ , together?

_He did say “guest room,” right?_

She was so close to completely letting go of her already crumbling resolve to push him away to someone else and giving in to what she wanted. If he opened the door for her to do so….

She breathed a silent sigh of relief when he pointed out his room as they walked past it to one of the guest rooms.

He pushed open the door for her, “You know where I am if you need anything. There should be stuff in the shower, my Mom makes sure these rooms are well stocked.”

She was planning on just collapsing into bed, but now that he mentioned the shower she realized how nice it would feel to get rid of the feel of the Dodger’s fingerprints on her neck.  

He started to walk away and then turned back to her, “Do you want a t-shirt to sleep in?”

“Ummm… sure, yeah. Thank you.”

He ducked into his room and emerged a few seconds later with a plain gray t-shirt. Handing it to her, he wished her goodnight.

“Goodnight,” she echoed.

When he disappeared into his room again, she backed into her guest room and smelled the shirt like a teenage girl with a crush. It smelled like the laundry detergent his family’s staff used, she recognized the scent from the countless times she had been pressed up against him during their combat training sessions.

Sighing, she dropped it on the bed and stepped into the large bathroom; the shower alone was about the size of her entire bathroom back at the foundry. Her reflection in the mirror showed the stress of the night, with her wig slightly askew and makeup collecting under her eyes. The shower was definitely a good idea. She pulled her wig off and let her own tresses free. Eventually, she should really get around to giving herself a haircut, she was so close to being able to turn her grown out roots into a somewhat-passable-as-ombre bob, but there had just been other more pressing concerns as of late.

The hot water of the shower had given her a short reprieve, but once she was lying down on the bed alone with her thoughts, she could feel the claustrophobic grip of the collar around her neck again. In the quiet stillness while she tried to sleep, her mind seemed intent on replaying the events of the evening and flooding her body with anxiety. Tonight’s traumatic experience seemed to be exactly what her brain needed to open the floodgates and the next layers of memories came crashing over her, no matter how hard she tried to focus on something else, anything else. Kneeling over Oliver in the alley, his pulse becoming weaker and weaker, blood trickling from the gash in his forehead. Oliver walking out of the foundry after she had told him that their kiss was a mistake. Her final trial and the guilty verdict being delivered. Cooper bleeding out in her arms---

Swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, she walked to the door. She was done with dealing with all of this alone. The only thing that had kept her sane for so long in her seriously messed up situation was being able to be completely open with Oliver, to find comfort in his presence, to help him heal from his experiences and in turn, keep hers from constantly haunting her.

Throwing that away had been the real mistake.

Her feelings were about to wreak havoc and she no longer had the energy to stop them.

She knocked at his door tentatively and heard him call for her to come in. When she pushed open the door, she saw him curled up at the window seat.

He turned to look at her as she entered, his eyes skimming over her small frame swimming in his shirt before landing on her furrowed brow, “You okay?”

She shook her head, “Not really. I couldn’t sleep.” 

“Me neither,” he replied, patting the space next to him. “Come sit?”

Walking forward and sitting down, she tried to formulate what she wanted to say but her thoughts were a tangled mess.

Finally she figured out where she wanted to start.

“I could have died tonight.”

“I wasn’t going to let that happen,” Oliver interjected, gently pushing a damp strand of hair off of her forehead.

“You might not have been able to do anything though. And just the other night, I watched you almost die. If Diggle wouldn’t have helped me to get you to the hospital…”

“Felicity… why are you—“

“I know what I said before,” she interrupted him, angling her body in closer to his, her eyes falling to her hands which were fiddling with the hem of her shirt. “—About not wanting to keep you from having a normal relationship because there’s not really a chance for any sort of future where we can be together because of my… situation, but maybe it’s stupid to be sacrificing what we had, what we could have now for a future we’re not even guaranteed because of the life we lead and how dangerous it is and---“ She sucked in a deep breath and her voice dropped to a whisper, “I’m just so tired of feeling alone.”

There was a part of her that worried that he was okay with the way things were, that his feelings weren’t the same as hers and that he had already moved on from her, that she had missed her chance. It hadn’t been fair of her to decide what was best for him, but maybe he had ended up agreeing with her reasoning. Relief flooded her as he pulled her into his lap to kiss her. She wrapped her hands around the back of his neck to pull their faces in closer together and he tugged at her bottom lip with his teeth while his hands trailed up and down her back. As he dropped his kisses to her neck and throat, the lingering feeling of the cold metal collar disappeared and she sighed in contentment at the new sensation, tipping her head to give him better access. His hands shifted to hold her securely while he stood up, keeping his gaze locked on her, and she could see that there was some trepidation in his eyes as he searched hers.

“What?” she whispered as she wrapped her legs tightly around his waist and he walked them over to his bed.

He sat her down on the edge of the bed and knelt in front of her, “You’re sure about this? Because last time we---”

She cupped his face and ran her thumb along his cheek, “I’m sure. I promise.”

The corners of his mouth ticked upwards and she returned his smile. His life wasn’t normal, a “normal” relationship wouldn’t change that, but if she could give him a little bit of peace and happiness, then maybe she would be giving him what he needed to have a life that wasn’t always shrouded by the darkness instead of dragging him farther down like she had feared. She had thought that she was giving into her selfishness, that her coming to his room was only about her getting what she needed to calm the storm of fear and loneliness swirling inside of her, but it this was what he wanted too, was it really all that selfish?

Standing up, he eased her onto her back and came to hover over top of her, kissing her forehead, her cheeks, the tip of her nose and her chin, before coming back to her lips and making her feel so… _real._ With her entire existence being a secret it was easy to feel like a ghost, an illusion. Nothing felt better than a gentle reassurance that she was still alive, that she could still be shown affection, still be desired. It flooded her body with that same warmth as the last time they kissed, but this time there was no guilt or unease to push aside in her desperation.

She slid her hands up his back, underneath his t-shirt, and lightly dragged her fingernails across his warm skin while he deepened their kiss, his tongue tangling with hers.

He pulled back for a moment and settled between her legs, his fingers finding the collar of her (his) shirt and ripping it in half cleanly down the front, causing her to yelp in surprise.

She rolled her eyes in amusement as she propped herself up to shrug off the remaining fabric, “You’re always so dramatic.”

He just smirked and ran his fingers tenderly along the scar on her shoulder from her accident, taking advantage of all the newly exposed skin and pressing kisses across her collarbone and chest, before trailing them down her stomach. His tongue found the shallow grooves of the abdominal muscles that were starting to show thanks to all of the vigorous training and she raked her fingers through his hair. He kissed her hipbones, his hands slipping behind her knees to pull her legs further apart and her toes curled in anticipation. But he was still wearing entirely too much clothing for her preference.

“Take your shirt off,” she muttered hazily. “Please.”   

He obliged her request and she slid her hands up his torso, feeling the way his muscles tensed and relaxed under her touch. After months of having to watch him parade around shirtless, she was happy to finally get to trace the defined muscles she had only gotten to not so subtly stare at. She carefully skimmed over the fading bruises from his run-in with the copycat archer before lingering on the unusual tattoo on his chest and wondering not for the first time what the story behind it was. When she got to his shoulders, she dragged her hands back down, pulling at the waistband of his sweatpants teasingly. He groaned and grabbed her hands, pushing her arms back down to her sides and pressing a kiss to her forehead before whispering in her ear, “You first.”  

Her eyes fell closed and she took a deep breath as he tugged her underwear down her legs, his mouth replacing the fabric and making her feel like she was going to melt into the sheets. It didn’t take long before he had her coming completely undone, his name tumbling from her lips. Pressing a kiss to the inside of her thigh, he rolled off the bed to pull his pants off and earned an appreciative eyebrow raise from her as she dropped her gaze down his body, which exceeded her expectations even with the _didn’t-leave-much-to-the-imagination_ leather pants he wore on a nightly basis. When he returned to her on the bed and slowly rocked into her, burying his face in her neck, her hands spread across his back pulling him closer, everything else faded away. It was just the two of them in their own world where she didn’t have to act like she no longer existed and he wasn’t carrying the weight of an entire city on his shoulders. She felt his heart racing against hers as they pushed each other over the edge. The last thing she remembered was him rolling off of her and pulling her in close to his side, her head resting comfortably on his chest as her eyes fluttered closed.

Needless to say, neither of them had any more trouble falling asleep that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You survived the slow burn!!! Hopefully I didn't torture you too much :) Things are going to start rolling into the end of the story now, about 4 or 5 chapters left. Thanks for sticking around for the ride this long and I hope you continue to enjoy it!


	16. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was so glad to see such a positive response to last week's chapter! It was a relief to finally be able to write them get together and I know you guys have been waiting for that for a while as well. There's still obviously some things they're going to have to figure out but the events of the last chapter will definitely create a shift in the story going forward. This chapter is a little breather before things get kind of crazy for the last 3 chapters (plus an epilogue) where the answers to a lot of the questions from the beginning of the story will be answered. Enjoy!

_ He was afraid to open his eyes. _

_ Afraid to open his eyes to discover that it had all been a dream. _

_ That the images seared in his brain were of its own creation instead of memories. Her hair, her hands, her lips, her skin. It all seemed so real in his mind, so perfect, and so not what he thought he would ever experience once he had begun his crusade. _

_ Until she had come into his life. _

_ But then she had said no and he had all but given up on the tiny amount of hope that she would change her mind.  _

_ Finally, he let his eyes open and was greeted by the freckles that dotted across her nose as she looked up at him. _

_ Real. _

_ It had been real. _

_ “Hey,” she whispered. “You’re awake.” _

_ “Were you watching me sleep?”   _

_ She smiled, trailing her fingers across his chest, “Just for a minute. You looked so calm.” _

_ He returned her smile, “I had a good night’s sleep.” _

_ A rare thing for him, a very rare thing. His mind was a never ending stream of terrorizing memories, plans for his crusade, the million things he should be doing to live up to his family’s expectations, daily observations that his brain had filed away, there was enough to keep him up forever. She was the one thing that seemed to calm his mind. The nights he had spent with her when she had first been struggling with her own nightmares had been the best sleep he had had in years and last night topped all of those. He was bent on surviving in order to complete his mission, and that had kept him going, but he didn’t know how to enjoy things the same way he did before he was changed by his time away. When she had come to his room he hadn’t expected for them to end up tangled in his sheets, the prior events of the night long forgotten as they kissed. He had taken the time to memorize every inch of her last night, relishing in the fact that his touch was still capable of inflicting something other than pain.  _

_ Watching as she traced her fingers over his bratva tattoo, a physical reminder of the depth of the darkness he had sunk into, her lavender painted nails created a stark contrast. Being with her like this made him feel human, less of the monster he often saw himself as, the monster she never seemed to see. He wanted more of that, he just hoped that the broken pieces of a man that he had left to give her were enough. _

_ She rested her chin on his chest to look up at him, “Thank you.” _

_ “For what?” _

_ “I couldn’t have been alone last night. I felt like I was being crushed by invisible bricks, the last couple of months have just been a lot and I--- I needed this, needed you.” _

_ He had hated having to watch her deal with things on her own, watch the shadows flicker across her eyes as she tried to pretend that she was okay. _

_ It was like looking in a mirror. _

_ He knew the toll that took on a person and she deserved so much better. _

_ “No more nights alone,” he promised.  _

_ Her brow furrowed, “Don’t you think you should spend some nights at home---“ _

_ “Felicity. Being with you while everyone in my family is sleeping is not going to hurt my relationship with them. I admit that I have not been the best son or brother since coming home but you are not in any way the reason for that.” _

_ Last night she had said that they shouldn't waste the time that they had now for the sake of a future neither of them were guaranteed and he didn't want “the time they had now” to just mean one night. The things he had wanted with her for a while now we’re finally in reach and he couldn't lose her to her old arguments.  _

_ She paused thoughtfully and then nodded, “Okay.” _

_ When she started to shift away from him, he reached out to pull her back in, “We’re taking a day off, remember? There’s no reason to get up yet.” _

_ She smiled cheekily, “So we’re not going to have our normal morning routine and run for a few miles and then hit things for a few hours and then climb the rope in the foundry a few times and then---“ _

_ “I can think of other ways I’d rather work out this morning,” he muttered, interrupting her. _

_ She kissed his chest, right over his heart, “You will get no arguments from me on that. I’m just going to the bathroom, I’ll be right back.” _

_ He reluctantly let her go and stretched out his stiff legs as he propped himself up to watch as she headed for the bathroom. Something about seeing her in his room made it feel more like home than it had been since coming back. He couldn’t get used to it though, it wasn’t their life to have the kind of relationship where they could just wake up in his bedroom together without a care in the world. There was a job to be done; crusades that they equal parts chose and had placed upon them by the misdemeanors of others. They couldn’t let themselves get distracted from that, but he needed something uncomplicated in his life and what he felt for her didn’t seem complicated. There was no fake persona to hide behind, no lies to cover-up who he was when he donned his hood, no need to pretend that there wasn’t a darkness inside of him that threatened to consume him. She was her own shadow of darkness and yet she somehow kept him tethered to the light that still burned somewhere deep inside of him. Things had only gotten complicated between them when they were trying to keep some distance, and he was relieved that she agreed it was time to be done with that. _

Felicity perched herself on one of the barstools and watched as Oliver grabbed things out of the fridge for breakfast. After remaining in bed for as long as their eventual need for breakfast allowed, he had given her an un-ripped shirt to put on and they had made their way downstairs. With every hallway they passed she expected someone to cross their path and she wondered if she would ever be able to shake the paranoia that creeped in whenever she left the foundry.

“You’re sure no one is going to walk in on us?” she asked, nervously biting her lip. The last thing she wanted was Oliver having to explain why there’s a  _ supposed-to-be-dead _ fugitive in the kitchen.

“I sent the staff home until my family gets back, no one’s here,” he assured her.

She nodded in relief and relaxed.

Holding up two containers, he asked, “Pancakes or quiche?”

Her stomach grumbled, “Is both an option?”

“Both is definitely an option,” he replied, walking over to open a cabinet and retrieve two plates.

She pulled up the news on her tablet while he microwaved the food and skimmed through the latest headlines. Keeping up with what was going on in Starling and around the world made her feel a little more like an actual member of society. She liked to know the little things, like what restaurant had just brought in a new celebrity chef and what animal sanctuary just welcomed baby pandas, to the more serious stories, like new technological developments and court cases. There was one story in particular she had been keeping an eye on lately. 

Oliver came around behind her and sat her plate down just as she started a video clip.

_ “There were no signs of forced entry, or any evidence of a struggle but, hours later, the police found that the bloodstained—“ _

She looked up at Oliver and mouthed “thank you” as she took a fork from him and dug into her pancakes, before turning her attention back to the news story.

_ “Forensic analysis verified the blood on the blade---“ _

Oliver sat down next to her and leaned over to look at her screen, “What are you watching?”

“Peter Declan. Apparently he murdered his wife in their baby’s room. No alibi, all the evidence points to him. Tried, convicted, and sentenced to death. Open and shut case. His execution is approaching soon,” she rattled off before diving back into her breakfast.

_ “Camille was everything to me. I couldn’t kill her any more than I could kill myself.” _

“That doesn’t hit a little too close to home for you?” he asked, concern lacing his voice.

She turned to look at him, “It hits way too close. I’ve been in that exact position and I think he might be as innocent as me. I think we should do some digging, see if there’s some angle the police didn’t think they needed to consider because it seemed obvious that Peter was the culprit.”

He frowned, “Handling every crime that pops up in the city isn't exactly our mission, they're just symptoms and we’re trying to fix the root of the problem. We should get back to working on the list...”

_ And Cooper’s files. _

He didn’t need to say it, it was implied. She had agreed to focus on them again in the New Year, and now that she was finally letting herself move on from Cooper, she felt ready to do so. But she also felt like she needed to try and help Peter Declan first. No person should have to go through her experience with being framed for killing a loved one and she didn’t think Oliver was interested in recruiting another team member. Besides, Peter wasn't exactly a candidate for vigilantism, he had a daughter to be reunited with. They were going to have to free him from prison a more conventional way and luckily she had an idea for a trail they could run down, which is more than she could say for herself.

“I know. Which is why we’re going to kill two birds with one stone.” She tilted her tablet towards him to show him the police records she had accessed, “Declan’s wife Camille worked for Jason Brodeur and I’m almost positive that I’ve seen his name on the list. What if she found out something about his operations that she wasn’t supposed to know about? Something that would earn him a place on the list?”

“Hmm… I think you’re right about Brodeur being on the list. We should check into----“

They both froze as they heard the beep of the security system telling them that the front door had been opened.

“I thought I locked that,” Oliver muttered, reaching for a knife.

“Oliver?” Tommy’s voice filtered into the kitchen, accompanied by approaching footsteps.

“Pantry. Go.” Oliver whispered and she hopped off of her stool, grabbing her dishes and tablet before darting towards the pantry.

She saw Tommy and Laurel walk into the kitchen through a crack right before she shut the door completely. Their conversation was audible to her as she sat on the floor and finished eating her breakfast.

“What are you doing?” Tommy questioned.

“What do you mean?” Oliver asked casually.

“You’re finally off of bed rest from your motorcycle accident, and you’re just here eating alone in your kitchen like an old grandpa. That’s sad man.”

“Well I… uh…”

“Which is why we’re here to invite you to my birthday party, you need to get out of the house,” Tommy continued.

“It’s not that exciting, it’s just at my apartment,” Laurel clarified. “And dinner, which I promise I will not be cooking, and the two of us and you.”    

“And your plus one if you can manage to pick someone up between now and tomorrow night, come by the club later and you shouldn’t have a problem,” Tommy added with a hint of teasing.

Her shoulders slumped and she sighed, hoping that no one heard her. It hadn’t even been 24 hours before a perfect example came up of how unrealistic things were between them.

“It’ll just be me,” Oliver replied. “Is there anything you want me to bring for dinner?”

And now Oliver would be stuck third wheeling his best friend and ex-girlfriend. Was  _ yikes _ an appropriate reaction?

She tuned out the rest of their conversation, reaching for her tablet to continue her perusal of the morning news until Oliver opened the pantry door and extended a hand to help her up off of the floor.

“Maybe we should head back to the foundry now,” she suggested, watching her toes tap the tile floor and feeling the guilt start to bubble up inside of her again, making it hard to face him. “We don’t want to risk any more unexpected visitors. And I want to check the book for Peter Declan’s name…”

Oliver tipped her chin up, so she was looking at him. “Okay,” he agreed, a bit of disappointment lacing his tone.  

She nodded and started to move away from him but he caught her arm gently and leaned down to kiss her, his nose brushing against hers and the taste of sweet pancake syrup on his lips.

Right. Her shoulders relaxed in relief as she kissed him back. This was what he wanted,  _ she _ was what he wanted, even though she could never be his official “plus one.”

After months of feeling mostly numb, it felt so good to be wanted, to actually feel like she could have something she wanted. 

He pulled away and kissed her forehead, “I guess it’s back to work.”

“We made it a few hours, that’s got to be a new record for you,” she teased, looping her arm through his and tugging him along.

* * *

 

“Yep,” Oliver pointed at a page on the book as she walked down into the foundry after changing into sweatpants and a t-shirt. “Jason Brodeur is on the list. Good catch.”

“Declan has always claimed he was innocent, and even if his wife didn’t work for a member of club evil, I would still believe him. People don’t just randomly murder their wives just like people don’t randomly murder their boyfriends.” She paused and took a deep breath to calm herself down, “We just have to give the police a solid reason to believe him too, and fast. His execution is in 48 hours.”

“Hmm… maybe I should cancel dinner for tomorrow night,” Oliver mused.

She gave him the side eye, “Absolutely not, it’s your best friend’s birthday. If we don’t have what we need by then, I can take care of it alone. I’ve come a long way since my first solo venture.”

It seemed like ages ago that she had infiltrated The Count’s hideout. Knowing what she did now, she could think of all the little mistakes she had made then, the things she would do differently now.

“Okay, well, hopefully we won’t be cutting it that close and it won’t be a problem. Whoever Brodeur has doing his dirty work is clearly dangerous.” 

“Do you not trust me?”

He sighed and reached for her hand, pulling her in close, “I do, I just don’t know what I would do if something happened to you. I’ve gotten used to not having to do this alone.”

“Well you would still have Digg,” she pointed out. “Although I realize he’s not quite as pretty as me.”

Oliver sighed in exasperation and she rolled up onto her tiptoes to press a quick kiss to his lips, “Let’s just get what we need to exonerate Declan before the birthday dinner and then it won’t be an issue.” She walked over to her computer to sit down and start investigating Jason Brodeur’s business operations. “For starters, he’s going to need a good attorney.” She swiveled around in her chair to face Oliver, “It’s a good thing we know one of Starling’s best.”  

“I’m going to call Digg and let him know what we’re up to. Since we’re not taking the day off now, do you want to do some training then while we wait until we can go see Laurel?”

She nodded, “Yeah.”

He reached for his phone, “Okay, meet me in the alley in 10.”

“Wha---“

“You’ll see,” he tossed over his shoulder as he walked away to call Digg.

* * *

 

“Off the roof, land onto the lower roof, swing off the rail onto the dumpster and jump down to run after the target,” she repeated Oliver’s instructions back to herself under her breath while she zipped up her jacket. “What could go wrong? Besides breaking every bone in my body…”

Oliver was running her through some parkour drills to help her get over her hesitation when they were chasing people and she could only imagine the bruises she was going to find on herself when she showered later. It was one thing to jump off a building when she knew Oliver was going to catch her or she could rappel to the ground with one of the tension cord arrows, but this whole “just jump and hope you land safely on your feet” thing was a little intimidating. But if she wanted to be a good partner, she couldn’t slow Oliver down, so working on her chase skills was a must, impending bruises and all.

“You ready?” Oliver asked from the ground.

She gave him the thumbs up and took a few steps back on the roof of a building in a mostly abandoned alley they had found to train in. Between suppliers and staff members coming in to get ready to the nighttime crowds, the club drew too much traffic for her to be jumping off of the roof in broad daylight without risking drawing some curious looks. The last thing she needed was to end up on someone’s Twitter or Snapchat story if she face-planted. For the sake of her secrecy… and dignity.

“Ok. You can do this,” she whispered, her breath forming clouds in the crisp winter air, before running forward and launching herself off of the edge of the roof, resisting the urge to close her eyes as she sailed toward the low roof she was aiming for. Miraculously, she landed on her feet and only stumbled slightly. If she was judging gymnastics she would give her dismount a solid 7… okay, maybe a 6.

“No time for a celebration dance, your man is still on the run,” Oliver reminded her in amusement.

She gave him a sheepish look before jumping and grabbing onto the metal bar from a broken down fire escape and using it to swing herself out to the dumpster below. She had maybe given herself a little too much momentum and she skidded to the edge of the top of the dumpster, coming precariously close to falling face first onto the ground. Steadying herself, she jumped and ran down the alley to where Oliver was standing.

She wrapped her arms around his waist, “Gotcha. How’d I do?”

“You were too careful, and that slowed you down. If this was an actual chase, I would have been long gone. You need to just trust your reflexes and go.”

“Ahh, overthinking, my hamartia,” she remarked in frustration.

“Your what?”

“My hamartia, my fatal flaw that will lead to my downfall.”

He just stared down at her in confusion.   

She shrugged, “Greek mythology. I’m assuming you didn’t study that in college…”

“I did read The Odyssey. Which surprisingly ended up saving my ass once while I was on the island.”

“What?” she laughed. “That sounds like a long story.”

“It is.” He untangled her arms from his torso, “And you still have work to do, so back up on the roof.”

“You can’t tease me like that. One day you’re actually going to tell me what happened while you were away, right?”

A shadow crossed over his eyes, “It was five years where nothing good happened. That’s all you really need to know.”

She knew he was only forthcoming with details on his own terms, all she could do was continue to remind him that he could confide in her.  

Heading back to the building, she prepared herself to run the course again.

And again.

And again.

And again….

Oliver made adjustments to her route and made her try different things until she was thoroughly exhausted and sent him to get them Big Belly Burger.

Back in the foundry, she finished up the last of her fries and stretched her legs out into Oliver’s lap, “My legs feel like jello.”  

He started to gently massage her calf muscles and she closed her eyes, humming in appreciation.

“We were trying to escape on a supply plane,” he began. “We had made it past the men guarding the radio tower and the captain called in for the verification code. Of all creatures that move and breathe upon the earth…”

“Nothing is bred that is weaker than man,” she muttered.

“Yeah. That’s the part of the quote we had to know and, in some miraculous stroke of luck, it was from the one book I had read in college.”

“But you still didn’t make it home on the supply plane.”

“I told you, it’s a long story.” He glanced at the clock, “Laurel will probably be heading home from work now. We should suit up.”  

* * *

 

They disabled the power to Laurel’s apartment and waited quietly in the dark for her to get home. When she walked in, Felicity watched as she became suspicious and reached for a gun before turning to face them.

“Hello Laurel,” Oliver greeted her, his voice modulator on.

She lowered the gun and glanced over at Felicity, who couldn’t help but wonder if Laurel would put two and two together about her sooner rather than later, before looking back at Oliver.

“Can I help you with something?” she asked.

“Peter Declan is going to be executed in 48 hours. We think he’s innocent. Declan’s wife was going to blow the whistle on Jason Brodeur. Brodeur had her murdered.”

“I don’t know if you’ve forgotten, but my record hasn’t been so good lately with saving innocent people,” she remarked bitterly.

Felicity switched on her own voice modulator and stepped forward, “That was an impossible situation, you can’t let that overshadow everything else you’ve accomplished, all the people you’ve helped.”

She didn’t want Laurel to still be beating herself up because she thought that she had failed her. She had reached out to the vigilante for her and she had no idea the impact of that. Honestly, there was a small part of her that was actually kind of glad that she had gotten the guilty verdict. If she had gone free, she probably would have gone back to her job at QC that was unfulfilling, been without an opportunity to find out what actually happened to Cooper, her chances of getting to know Oliver, or quite frankly even just meeting him, would have been slim to none, and she never would have realized everything she was capable of. Sure, she hated being dead to the world and she wished that she could somehow have it all, but she was chasing down criminals and challenging her hacking skills and being kissed by Oliver, and those things made her feel alive.

The expression on Laurel’s face started to shift and Felicity hoped that she was considering the truth in what she had said. 

“Besides, it’s going to be different this time,” Oliver added. “We’ve got a solid lead to run down. We’ll do our part if you can do yours. I know you’ll do anything to save an innocent man and you’re the only person I can trust with this.”

Laurel was silent for another moment before finally nodding her assent, “Okay. I’ll go visit Declan in the morning.”  


	17. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry this chapter is a day late (I have 2 and a half weeks of school left and I am more than ready to not be trying to juggle homework and fun writing anymore) but I hope it's worth the wait :)

_ “A jury has charged you as guilty Mr. Declan.” _

_ “The evidence was stacked against me, but I didn’t kill my wife,” he pleaded. _

_ Laurel crossed her arms as the deja vu hit her. This felt so much like the many conversations she had with Felicity a few months ago. “I didn’t take my daughter’s mother from her,” he continued, showing her the picture of his family. _

_ She wanted to believe him, she wanted to be able to help, but she needed to approach this logically, as a lawyer, not just as a person who had failed someone she had come to think of as a friend and needed to make up for that in whatever way possible. _

_ “The murder weapon was a knife, from your kitchen, with your prints on it,” she pointed out, and he stood up and started pacing as she rattled off the allegations he had probably heard many times already. “It was found, along with Camille’s blood, in the trunk of your car. Your neighbors said they heard an argument that night.”   _

_ “We had a knockdown fight over Jason Brodeur,” he explained. “Camille worked for him, and his company had been dumping toxic waste into the Glades. Now, Camille told me that she’d gone and told a supervisor about it.” _

_ That aligned with what the Vigilante had told her last night. She didn’t always agree with his methods for taking on the corruption in the city, but it was obvious that there were problems that weren’t being properly handled. He was like the guardian angel this city always needed, just a slightly--- murderous angel? _

_ “I was afraid for my family’s safety, and we argued,” he sighed, “very loudly. Izzy started crying, so Camille went and stayed in her room.” _

_ He slumped back down into his chair, “In the morning, I went to apologize, and that’s when I found her. So I just grabbed Izzy, and I ran outside to call 911.” He leaned forward, “I’m innocent Ms. Lance.” _

_ If he was innocent, she was going to prove it, with a little help from her hooded friend--- err friends. She had felt like there was something familiar about his partner ever since they had rescued her from Cyrus Vance, she just couldn’t put her finger on it. Whoever she was, she was glad he wasn’t working alone anymore, it seemed like such a lonely life to live. _

“Owww!” Felicity yelled defensively as Oliver hit her on the butt with his bamboo stick.

“I barely even---“ he stopped talking and the teasing smile slid off of his face as she whipped around and raised her stick to retaliate, moving quickly to block her attack.

“I called a timeout,” she reminded him as they resumed their fight. “I’m running something new to try and get into Cooper’s server and I needed to check on it.”

“Sorry,” he replied unapologetically and she stuck out her tongue. “Any luck with the server?”

“I think I’m getting close,” she answered, jumping to the side to dodge one of his blows. “Do you think we’ll hear from Laurel soon?”

“She’ll probably arrange a meet-up for tonight to let us know what she found out. Sometime after Tommy’s dinner, so I’ll need to be prepared to go right from there if necessary and you can meet us.”

“Okay, see this is perfect, there’s not much we can do until we hear from her so you’ll still be able to spend some time with your friends, and we can take care of this together afterwards. No bailing on birthday dinner or chasing down dangerous people alone will be necessary.”

* * *

 

Felicity’s attention was caught by the sound of a knock on her apartment door and she called for Oliver to let himself in. He was dressed in a crisp suit and she stood up to saunter over to him and give him a kiss.

“You look handsome,” she appraised, running her hands down his chest and smoothing out a miniscule wrinkle in his shirt. “Have a nice time at dinner.”

“I wish you were coming with me,” he lamented, catching one of her hands and rubbing his thumb over her knuckles.

She frowned, “Me too. I’m sorry you have to go alone. I mean you won’t be alone, you’re going to spend time with your friends but--- you know what I mean.”

He shrugged, “It’s fine, and to make it up to you, we’ll go on a date tomorrow night.”

She raised a questioning eyebrow, “Like a real date?”

He nodded.

“Umm, how? It’s not like we can make reservations at, well, anywhere.”

A mischievous glint flashed in his eyes, “Don’t worry about it.”

She narrowed her eyes, “You know I don’t like mysteries.”

“This isn’t a mystery, it’s a surprise.” He squeezed her hand and kissed the top of her head. “Text me if Laurel calls before I get back, okay?”

“I will.” She tilted her chin up for one last kiss before he left and smiled as he went for her bottom lip and his hands came up to cup her face. It was the little things that made his kisses so perfect.

He reluctantly pulled away and she gave him a little wave as he backed out of her apartment.

After he left, she pulled out a tablet to look for something she could get shipped overnight to wear on the date she was apparently going on, since her dresser was currently filled with mostly an assortment of sweatpants, tanks, leggings, and sports bras. Her pre-vigilante, IT specialist wardrobe had primarily consisted of cardigans, button downs, and pencil skirts, but she didn’t think those clothes really represented who she was now. They were… safe. She had the gold dress of course that she wore for the charity auction, and Oliver had seemed to really like that, but--- her eyes zeroed in on an outfit.

_ Perfect. _

She placed the order and then walked over to her fridge to figure out what she was going to eat for dinner. Things were a bit sparse, she was going to have to get some more groceries soon, and she wished more than anything that she could just order a pizza. Little things like that caused her the most frustration regarding her situation, reminded her that her life wasn’t normal, that she couldn’t leave a trace of her fingerprints on the world anymore. She quietly did her part for the city under the cover of darkness but it couldn’t know that her heart was still beating, her lungs still filled with air. Getting emotionally entangled with Oliver made things better because she didn’t feel so isolated and lonely anymore, but it also made things worse. If this crusade didn’t take her life, she had told herself that she would eventually leave and start over somewhere else, but she didn’t know how she was supposed to do that if her heart was here. It was all so terribly complicated.

One day at a time.

That was what she had told Oliver, right? There were no promises of tomorrow, so no sense in worrying about it.

That didn’t change that  _ right now _ , she was craving pizza.

How dangerous could it possibly be to show her face to a delivery guy?

It had been enough time, her crime hadn’t been more than a blip in the news, and Oliver had let her go to the charity auction…

Her credit card had Oliver’s name on it. She couldn’t think of any reason why some random girl living in a nightclub that no one was supposed to be living in would have Oliver Queen’s credit card.

Actually, she could.

Bless his little former playboy heart.

Picking up her phone she hoped that Oliver wouldn’t kill her for this… or that whoever was doing delivery tonight wasn’t super into the crime scene in Starling City. She found a place in the Glades that she had never ordered from before, gave her name as Megan Cooper, and was told that the wait would be 30 minutes. Not that he knew that she was actually Felicity Smoak, a supposed to be dead, boyfriend murderer that they were going to call the police on. So far, so good.

Oliver kept a few extra outfits here in case he needed to change into something in a pinch and she found a button down in his chest of drawers downstairs. She figured the more uncomfortable she made this poor delivery guy, the less time he would spend considering whether or not it was okay for him to accept a credit card from her that he didn’t think she should plausibly have.

Taking off her clothes, she slipped on the shirt and buttoned a few of the buttons haphazardly before messing up her hair a bit.

She caught her reflection in her computer screen, and deemed it acceptable.

Thirty minutes later, she heard the delivery guy knock hesitantly on the side door of the club and she cracked it open, desperately wishing that it wasn’t the middle of winter as the cold air sliced at her bare legs.

This pizza better be the best she ever tasted.

The delivery guy, who looked like he was probably in high school, blinked his wide eyes slowly in shock as he took in her appearance and she flipped her hair over her shoulder before handing him the credit card.

“Uhh… this says Oliver Queen…” he remarked, studying the card intently in an attempt to keep his eyes off of her half naked body.

“Yes, Oliver, the owner of this club, who, at the moment, is waiting for me to come back to his office. He’s always been so… inaccessible, but showing up before opening time certainly payed off, if you know what I mean.”

He looked up at her with cheeks the color of the pizza sauce and she winked.

_ Just give me the pizza before I decide to share any more details. _

“I don’t think I-- uhhh…”

Holding out her hand, she asked, “So, could I have our pizza?”

“Oh, umm, yeah,” he muttered, handing her the pizza before fumbling in his pocket to pull out his phone to run her credit card.

She tapped him on the shoulder, “Give yourself a nice tip.”

“Thanks,” he mumbled, swiping her card and practically throwing it at her before turning and darting back to his car.

She closed the door and inhaled the smell of the freshly baked pizza filling the air.

_ Mission accomplished. _

Hopefully she didn’t scar the poor kid too much in the process, but desperate times called for desperate measures.  

An hour and 26 minutes later she got a call from Oliver that Laurel was on her way to their usual meeting spot and she suited up to ride over there. 

* * *

 

“You were right,” Laurel approached them on the rooftop. “He might be innocent. Declan said his wife blew the whistle on Broduer, just like you suspected, on the same day that she was murdered.”

“Then we need to get whoever she told about Broduer to testify,” Oliver replied.

“He already has. Matt Istook, Camille’s supervisor. Only, he says that she didn’t say a word to him.”

“He could by lying,” Felicity pointed out.

Laurel sighed, “Well if he is, then he’s very convincing. He had the jury and police believing him.”

“He hasn’t been questioned by me,” Oliver remarked gruffly.

_ Prepare for dramatic exit in, 3.. 2.. 1… _

He shot an arrow into a ledge on the building next to them and reached for her before swinging them off of the roof. Heights might still freak her out a bit when she was jumping on her own, but swinging through the air wrapped in Oliver’s strong arms definitely wasn’t going to get old anytime soon.  She felt secure enough to actually enjoy the way the city lights flashed around her and the wind teased her face as they descended down to the ground where their motorcycles were waiting.

“Pull up directions to Brodeur’s building,” Oliver directed as he hopped on his bike. “Hopefully Istook is the type of guy who works late.”

She turned on the gps unit on her bike, “Roger that.”

When they arrived at the offices, she did a scan of the license plates on the cars still in the lot and found the one registered to a Matt Istook.

“We’re in luck, he’s still here,” she announced, tapping the rear windshield. “Or at least his car is.”

“Okay, let’s get a good vantage point and wait for him to come out.”

He scanned the proximity before leading her over to a somewhat concealed spot at the end of the parking lot that still afforded them a good view of the car.

“So, how did dinner go?” she whispered, bumping his shoulder with hers as they crouched on the ground. 

“It was nice. Until Malcolm decided to stop by.”

“Him and Tommy still on the outs?”

“Most definitely. Malcolm needed his signature though so that he could close his mom’s clinics in the Glades which doesn’t make any---“

Oliver dropped his sentence as they spotted someone approach the car. Felicity verified that he matched the ID photo she had pulled up on Matt Istook and Oliver shot him with a tranq.

“What are we going to do now?” Felicity asked curiously as they stepped towards his body.

“You’ll see.”

* * *

 

Felicity flinched as a train whistle blew in the distance, the sound rapidly growing louder. She looked down at where they had Istook cuffed to the tracks and realized that she wasn’t as horrified by Oliver’s tactics as she probably should be. The vindictive part of her wished that it was whoever had been involved in framing her that was lying there on the ground, but this was satisfying enough for now.

Istook groaned as he regained consciousness and she saw on his face the panic mixed with confusion as he became aware of his predicament and sat up to attempt to move off of the tracks.

“Matt Istook,” Oliver growled.

He turned around to face him, “You’re him, that hood guy. You’re the guy who’s been terrorizing the city.”

She rolled her eyes. Oliver had saved several innocent people’s lives over Christmas and according to a news story she had read the other day a growing group of people, unfortunately not including the SCPD, were starting to warm up to his presence in the city at the realization that the only people who should see him as terrorizing were those that deserved his ire.

Which, granted, included Istook, but it was a little unfair for him to make such generalizing statements, she thought.

“Peter Declan, your lies helped put him on death row,” Oliver accused. “Now, either it’s time to tell me the truth, or it’s time for the 10:15 to Bluudhaven.”

“O—okay,” Istook stammered. “Ok, I--- uhh, Brodeur paid me to—to say that Camille never spoke to me, but I didn’t have anything to do with her death.”

Felicity saw the train approaching out of the corner of her eye as the sound grew louder.

“Please,” Istook pleaded, his eyes whipping back and forth between the two of them wildly. “I’ll do anything. You—you could have the file.”

“What file?” Felicity demanded.

“Camille gave me a file of evidence against Jason Brodeur.”

“Where is it?” Oliver yelled over the sound of the train, which was getting way too close to where he was standing on the tracks for her comfort. As gratifying as it had been to watch Istook squirm a bit, she didn’t want him or Oliver being plowed over by a train right in front of her eyes.

“Let me go and I’ll tell you,” he pleaded.

Oliver stepped off the tracks and started to walk away, seemingly unpleased with his terms.

“Wait, wait, wait; don’t go, it’s in my desk! In my desk, at the office--- you can have it just get me out of here!”

Moments before the train passed by, Oliver shot an arrow at the handcuffs, freeing him, before taking off into the woods. She glanced over her shoulder as she ran after him and saw that Istook had made it off the tracks in time.

“Let’s get that file and drop it off for Laurel, she should be able to handle things from there.”

* * *

 

“You okay?” Oliver asked, running a hand down her bare back and causing her to shiver despite the steam building up in the hot shower.

She reached around him for the shampoo, “Yeah… I just--- I don’t know, I mean, a few months ago I would have balked at just the thought of chaining some guy to a railroad and tonight it barely phased me to watch you dangle Istook’s life in front of him.”

Starting to wash her hair she continued, “It felt right to watch him face consequence for helping to ruin someone’s life and I can’t help but wonder how I’ll react if I ever get to find out who was behind Cooper’s murder. Remember when that woman was on the news a few weeks ago…” She racked her brain for the name, “Helena Bertinelli?”

Oliver nodded and she forgot what she was trying to say for a moment as he started running a bar of soap over his chest and she got distracted by the trails of foamy lather slipping down his body.

“You were saying?”

She coughed and looked back up at his face to find him grinning smugly at her.

Ignoring her desire to roll her eyes at him, she continued, “I never knew her but I think I understand her pain and why she did the things she did. I just want so badly to know who I can stick an arrow in because it’s not fair that whoever hurt me isn’t hurting at all.” She slumped back against the wall behind her, the cold tile a shock to her heated skin, and pressed a palm into her forehead. As content as finally letting herself be with Oliver the way she wanted to made her, all the unanswered questions were still keeping the wounds on her heart from healing. She wasn’t sad anymore, she wasn’t grieving; she just didn’t want the person who was responsible for all of this to have any kind of hold on her anymore, any power to twist her into someone she didn’t recognize. She was afraid of the anger that she had seen flashing in Helena’s eyes, afraid if she looked long enough at herself in the mirror she would see the same anger in her own eyes. Anger that made a person desperate.

“You have a right to be angry,” Oliver commented gently. “And you deserve justice, which is far more satisfying than revenge, I promise.”

“I just don’t want to turn into some spiteful, hateful, vengeful---“

“Felicity…” he placed a hand on her shoulder. “I have encountered a lot of spiteful, hateful, vengeful people over the past 5 and a half years and you are nothing like them.”

She looked up at him skeptically and he squeezed her shoulder gently, “It’s true.”

When he slid his hand down her arm, he pulled her in close and she sighed in contentment at the feeling of being pressed up against his warm skin while the water rinsed her hair and trickled down her back. She thought back to when she had felt so embarrassed at the thought of him having to take her clothes off to clean her up after her accident, they had been barely more than strangers then, and now here they were, falling so easily into a comfortable intimacy. Shared secrets seemed to have a way of bringing people together.

Her eyelids felt heavy and she felt like she could fall asleep standing there. She took a small step back and, before she could say anything, a wide yawn cracked across her face. Oliver looked down at her in amusement and she covered her mouth with her hand.

“So yeah, I’m tired,” she remarked with a laugh when she was able to talk.

He reached behind her and shut the water off, “It’s been a long night.”

She nodded in agreement and stepped out of the shower.

While she was putting her pajamas on, she realized that Oliver’s shirt and the pizza box were still sitting on her table where she had forgotten about them when she left to meet Laurel. Oliver noticed too.

“Do I even want to know?” he asked, raising a curious eyebrow and holding up his dress shirt.

She shook her head, “Nope. But if you ever encounter a pizza delivery guy who can’t look you in the eye, it’s definitely unrelated.”

* * *

 

Felicity’s knife landed square in the middle of the target and Digg let out a low, impressed whistle.

“You’ve caught on to all of this pretty fast.”

She shrugged and picked up another knife, “Oliver’s a good teacher. He’s tough, but patient.”

“Where is Oliver?” he asked. “When I showed up at the house this morning, no one was there, so I figured he must’ve been here. I know he technically doesn’t need my protection but I am being paid for it again so I feel like I should at least know where he is.” 

“He was here, but his family got back from Aspen a half an hour ago,” she answered, releasing the knife and sending it sailing through the air. “I told him to go spend time with them today since we’re going out tonight…. well, going somewhere, I’m not exactly sure the details but he promised me a date night.”

Digg raised an eyebrow, “So you and him…?”

She blushed, “We’re together, I guess. It’s new, but--- do you think it’s wrong?” 

“What?”

“Do you think it’s wrong for us to be more than just teammates, considering my predicament? I pushed him away for a while because I thought that was best for him and I’m still a little worried that it’s selfish of me to keep him from a real relationship.”

“Felicity, I’ve been tasked with following Oliver around pretty much since he got home, save for my brief attempt to quit, and I’ve watched the way he keeps people at arm’s length. When I became aware of this other life he lived, I saw that somehow you managed the impossible and got close to him. And I think that’s what he needs, people to remind him of the person he is, not what he could become if he let all of his remaining humanity slip away in order to fulfil his mission. You’re one of the realest things he has.” 

Her heart practically started glowing at his words. It was the validation that she had been seeking, the justification that she had tried to provide herself, and she felt so relieved.

“And Felicity?” he continued. “You need to remember that too. That you’re still human, you’re still allowed to need people, to want someone to care for you. Just because the world thinks you’re dead doesn’t mean you should convince yourself that you are.”

She had just met him a few days ago so she hoped he didn't mind that he was about to receive a hug. 

* * *

 

Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she knew that it was time. She found a pair of scissors and carefully made the first cut, hoping she wouldn’t screw this up too badly. Locks of hair fell around her as she was slowly left with a bob that just barely grazed her shoulders. The last time she had drastically changed her hair was after college when she had moved to Starling. It had marked a new chapter in her life, and cutting her hair now felt symbolic of closing that chapter. Sure, she still had a few loose ends she needed to tie up, but she was done clinging to the past that had kept her from moving forward and she had spent most of the afternoon getting closer and closer to accessing whatever answers were inside of Cooper’s files.

She would always miss Cooper, he had been the first person to try and get her to believe she could be a hero, but there was no going back to the life she had with him, and she could accept that now. Working with Oliver to save the city gave her purpose, and her heart wasn’t lonely anymore.

She glanced down at the bathroom counter and noticed Oliver’s toothbrush sitting in the cup next to hers. He must have brought some of his things up from the bathroom downstairs when he started spending the nights in her apartment. Digg was right about their relationship being a dose of reality for them. It was simple things like brushing their teeth next to each other that would give her and Oliver’s life some much needed normalcy when they spent their nights shooting arrows into snipers, chasing down explosives enthusiast thieves, and chaining people to train tracks.

“You almost ready?” she heard Oliver ask from outside the door.

“Yep, coming!” she replied excitedly, hastily brushing a few strands of hair off of her shoulder and checking her lipstick.

But tonight, there would be no arrows necessary, because somehow, they were going on a date. 


	18. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys so I'm going to have to go on a little hiatus with updating while I finish up the school year. I promise I'm not abandoning this story and hopefully the next two weeks will pass quickly! Thank you for your patience and support as I've worked on this fic, enjoy the chapter :)

_ “Did you have a nice time in Aspen, Moira?” _

_ She gave him a tight lipped smile, “We did. Was there a reason for calling me to your office or were you just interested in exchanging pleasantries?” _

_ “You’ve been away for a few weeks, I wanted to make sure you were aware of where we were at with the undertaking. I’m going to Unidac tomorrow to check on the status of the device. In a few short days, our vision will be fulfilled.” _

_ “It was never _ our _ vision Malcolm. What is going to happen is on your hands; I only had to get involved because you had my husband killed and I needed to protect the rest of my family.” _

_ “Oh Moira, I thought our convictions were the same.” He reached a hand out for hers and she stepped backwards. “You know the crime needs to be put to an end. We can’t sit idly by and fail this city. I owe that to Rebecca.”   _

_ She narrowed her eyes, “You know Rebecca would be horrified by this. When you brought Mr. Seldon on I thought you had finally given up on your crazy plan to completely destroy the Glades.” _

_ “His plan was never going to work, it was just more of what the organization has been attempting for years. He severely underestimated what measures needed to be taken,” Malcolm sneered. “I only catered to his idealistic fantasies to understand how this virus of his could suit other endeavors in the future.” _

_ “And then you killed him and ruined some poor, innocent girl’s life in the process.”  _

_ His temper flared, “He lost his convictions, he was going to ruin everything!” _

_ “Because he realized you were still intending to go through with your original plan! No sane person would want to be involved in something like this.” _

_ Malcolm stepped closer to her, “And yet here you are.” He reached a hand up to cup her cheek and she flinched, “I would hate to lose you Moira, don’t put me in a position where I have to.” _

Felicity opened the door to her apartment and felt like a giddy high schooler getting picked up for prom. It had been a long time since she had gone on a first date, and while the nature of her and Oliver’s relationship made it quite different than a typical first date, it still felt a little monumental and she was excited. A night spent some way that didn’t put them at risk of being killed was a rare thing, and she was going to enjoy every second of it.

Oliver was leaning up against the wall with his hands in the pockets of his suit and he turned his head when she walked out.

His mouth parted but no words came out and she gave herself a mental pat on the back. Render him speechless, off to a good start.

Her outfit consisted of a sleek, short, matte leather skirt and matching top that bared a small slice of her skin where the two pieces failed to meet. Her arrowhead necklace dipped in between her collarbones and her feet were slipped into low, black booties. It was quite a departure from her usual sweatpants and t-shirts and it was nice to dress up again. When she had gotten ready to go to the charity auction the other evening it had been putting on a disguise and preparing for a mission, but tonight she got to dress up, look like herself and go on a date. She was happy to just feel like a normal person.

He stepped forward and ran his hands down her bare arms before dragging them back up and tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

“You cut your hair.”

She looked up at him and nodded.

“It looks nice.”

“Thanks. I mean, I was a little nervous about taking scissors to it because most of the time when people try to cut their own hair it just ends up being a total disaster and I thought I was going to end up having to shave my entire head or something and that would have been awful because I really don’t think I’m edgy enough to pull off a buzz cut, not that it really matters because only two people even see me but---“ she dropped off her sentence when she realized she was babbling and grinned sheepishly. “But yeah, thank you.”

He smiled before leaning in to kiss her, his hands coming around to her back and his fingers brushing against the exposed skin. When he pulled back he told her to grab her jacket and then led her out to the alley where one of his cars was parked.

“No chauffeur tonight?” she asked jokingly. “Do you still remember how to drive a car?”

He opened her door for her, “I gave Diggle the night off, so I guess we’ll find out.”

She slid into the passenger seat, laughing, before pausing and looking up at him, “Wait. You’re not serious, right?”

He shook his head in amusement and closed her door. After starting the car, he reached over for her hand and intertwined his fingers with hers. She loved his hands. They were marked with callouses and yet still had soft spots, strong but gentle. Full of contradictions, they had the power to break bones but the tenderness to caress her cheeks when he tilted her face up to kiss her.  

He drove them two blocks over from the club before stopping the car.

She looked around at the buildings that they were parked near skeptically, "Oliver...?"

"Yes?"

"I-- uh, I'm just not sure where we are?"

It's not like she was thinking that they were going to just drive into town and go to an actual restaurant. She knew that was impossible. She just thought that maybe she was a little overdressed for a rundown, abandoned building.

Oliver just smiled at her and hopped out of the car to open her door.

She accepted his hand and let him lead her over to the door of one of the buildings, which he unlocked and opened for her to step in.

Her confusion escalated when they entered a very empty and mostly dark, save for a little slice of moonlight coming in through one of the windows, room.

"Just wait here one moment," Oliver said, running a hand down her arm. "I need to check on something quick.”

She raised an eyebrow at him and he pressed a kiss to her cheek, "Be right back."

He slipped inside a door and she tugged her jacket a little tighter across her chest as she felt the cold winter air seeping into the building. Honestly, she had no idea what was going on, what was on the other side of the door that Oliver had gone through. She didn’t know what to expect, but this wasn't exactly starting off how she had been imagining all day.

A few minutes later, he reappeared and apologized for the wait.

She shivered, “It’s fine; I'm just a little cold."

He smiled and ushered her forward, "I promise it's much warmer in here."

Walking through the doorway, she gasped at the scene that awaited her. This was better than anything she could have imagined. In the center of the room a table for two was set, and pushed up against the walls were various pieces of old looking furniture.  What looked like hundreds of candles topped some of the furnishings, dimly lighting the room, and a fireplace was crackling on one wall, filling the room with warmth. It was a stark contrast to the cold and dingy space they had come through.

He stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"How?" she breathed.

"I found this place a while ago when I was scouting out properties in the Glades. Based on the furniture, I think it was someone’s home long abandoned before the neighborhood fell into the state it is now. While you were getting ready I got everything set up, but I had to start the fire and some of the candles had gone out, sorry you had to wait out there in the cold so long."

She tilted her head back to look up at him, "It was worth it. Thank you, for going to all this trouble.”

Even if they had somehow been able to slip her into a restaurant without drawing suspicion, she wouldn’t have been able to completely shake the paranoia all night. Here, she could just relax and enjoy the privacy and safety.

“It was worth it,” he replied with a wink.  

She bit her lip nervously, “Are you sure this isn’t a fire hazard though?”

“Ehh…” He shrugged, “Just don’t knock any of the candles over. Let’s try not to be accidentally responsible for the total destruction of an entire block of the Glades.”

They walked over to the table and he pulled her chair out for her before retrieving some covered dishes from where they were sitting on an antique sideboard.

“I asked the chef at Table Salt to make a few of his popular menu items.” He lifted the lids and steam billowed off of the delicious looking food.

Her stomach growled at the sight and, as she filled her plate with some of everything, she realized that she hadn’t taken the time to eat much all day. Digg had run through some hand to hand combat drills with her when he had been at the foundry earlier and then she had finally cracked into Cooper’s server. All she had to do now was click open the files it contained and then she would know… well, something. 

Which is exactly why she had elected to wait until after date night. She didn’t want anything to potentially dampen her mood.

“So what does one talk about on a first date after you’ve already exhausted most introductory conversation topics?” she asked while he poured her a glass of wine.

He sat down across from her, “That’s not true. There’s still lots of things that I don’t know about you.”

She eyed him over her glass, “What do you want to know?”

He shrugged, “I don’t know. Everything.”

“For someone who doesn’t like to talk about themselves very much, you’re awfully nosy,” she teased. “So I’m going to make you guess. Two truths and a lie.”

He nodded with an amused smile, “Okay.”

“Alright so…” She held up a finger, “One, I’m terrified of kangaroos.”

She could tell he was trying to hold back a laugh and she narrowed her eyes at him before holding up her second finger, “Two, I ate a pot brownie once. And three, I have been to space camp.”

“You’re lying about the pot brownie.”

“Errr,” she made a buzzer sound. “Incorrect. Sadly, I have not been to space camp, but I have eaten a pot brownie. Which was a terrible experience because it had nuts in it and Cooper had to stab me with my epipen.” He gave her that facial expression that she equated with the word “yikes” and she shuddered, “I hate needles.”

“I do know that,” he noted. “Okay, round two, I need to redeem myself.”

“Hmmm…. One, I know how to count cards. Two, I was stalked by a lacrosse player in college. And three, when I was 19, I ranked second in the National Information Technology competition.”

He let out a low impressed whistle, “In the presence of a genius.”

“Maybe that’s the lie though,” she pointed out.

He stared at her contemplatively while he considered his answer. “The stalker.”

“Wrong again,” she shook her head. “Boy, do I wish I knew some of the moves I know now. I could have scared him off and saved myself a whole lot of hassle.” She tapped her chin thoughtfully, “Although, it might have been a turn on for him to know that I could take him down… I mean, when we’re training you get pretty---”

Oliver cleared his throat to interrupt her, his ears turning red, “So what’s the lie?”

“They’re all true.”

He looked at her incredulously, “How am I supposed to win if you break the rules?”

“I’m a wanted criminal, I don’t play by the rules.”

He rolled his eyes and she grinned. Realizing that they had barely touched their food, they fell into a comfortable silence for a few minutes while they ate until Oliver spoke up again.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve done this,” he confided.

“Done what?”

“Something that normal people do.”

She laughed, “Going on dates in abandoned houses is not very normal. You’ve managed to make it incredibly romantic, but still.”

“I just mean sitting across from a beautiful woman and enjoying a nice dinner, whatever the location. It’s stuff like this that’s been kind of hard for me, the easy things. I don’t know how to turn off the part of me that’s always looking over my shoulder, never trusting anyone fully. With everything that I experienced, you come to see people as threats, or targets. That’s why I was planning on doing this alone. I told myself I was crazy for even considering bringing you into this.”

Under the table, she nudged his foot with hers, “And yet here I am.”

He shook his head with a smile, “Yeah. It was probably the best decision I made since starting my crusade. I was wary at first, but there was just something about you that was—that was different. I tried to just think of you as just another part of the mission, someone to save from the injustice in this city. Overseeing your training seemed like it would be a good project, something else to distract me from things I didn’t want to deal with at home.”

She tilted her head, “So what changed? I mean, when did you start thinking differently?”

He let out a small, amused laugh, “The very first night.”

She thought back to her first night at the foundry and remembered the nightmare she had been trapped in until Oliver had come to keep her company. It had seemed to her then like he was staying for more than just her own sanity but she hadn’t figured out how to read him quite yet.

“When I came up to your room to check on you after I heard you screaming, I realized that you could identify with me more than anyone else in my life. I didn’t even really know until then how much I wanted that, someone that I could let in who would understand what it was like to have experienced a horror that haunts you.”  

“You barely had a real conversation with me for weeks after that though.”

“I know. Remember, I told you that night on the roof that it was because people who get close to me usually end up getting hurt, and I was afraid of that. The experiences I had while I was away and the decisions I had to make, they changed me into someone that I didn’t recognize.” He looked down at the tightly gripped silverware in his hands and set them down next to his plate before bringing his eyes back up to meet hers. “All I saw when I looked at you was a person, not a target or threat or project, just a person that I had so quickly come to care about and I was afraid that I was too dangerous for you. You were persistent though, and with a lot of my other relationships turning into a train wreck, I didn’t want to keep making excuses anymore for why I shouldn’t get close to you. Knowing that I didn’t have to be pretend to be anyone that I wasn’t around you was the best feeling.”

“I’m sorry that I closed off to you,” she whispered, looking down at her plate.

“Hey,” he reached for her hand. “You already apologized and thankfully, we’ve both moved past our issues. I---”

His “work” phone buzzed and they looked over to see Laurel’s name displayed.

“You should probably answer that,” she advised. “Something probably came up with the Declan case. His execution is tomorrow, right?”

Oliver looked at her hesitantly, “But I don’t want to interrupt our dinner.”

She frowned, “Neither do I, but we have to finish what we started for Peter. And we can’t just leave Laurel hanging. What if she’s in danger?”   

Oliver reluctantly picked up the phone, “Hello?”

Felicity couldn’t hear what Laurel was saying but a few seconds later Oliver replied with, “Ok. Usual spot. 20 minutes.”

When he hung up, she sighed and looked at the box containing the chocolate cake that they hadn’t touched yet, “I guess I’m too full to eat dessert anyway.”

He stood up and grabbed the box, “Oh don’t worry. This is going in our fridge for when we get back.”

* * *

 

After blowing out all the candles they had headed back to the foundry to suit up where Oliver had barely concealed the disappointed sigh as she took off her outfit and dropped it to the floor.

_ Yeah, not how she had imagined it coming off either _ ,  _ but duty calls. _

When they got to the rooftop, Laurel was waiting for them.

“According to the judge, the file isn’t sufficient to warrant a stay of execution.” Laurel let out a sigh, “My motion for habeas corpus was denied. I’m sorry, I really do believe that he’s innocent and it hurts to see him have to take the fall like this but his time has run out.”

“We’re not done yet,” Oliver reassured her.

“I’m an attorney. Trust me, we’re done.”

Felicity balled her hands into fists in frustration. There had to be a way, she just couldn’t give up. Even if she could never truly get justice for herself, she needed to be able to get it for others. That’s the opportunity that Oliver had promised her when he roped her into all of this, right?

On a less serious note, she left her candlelight dinner early for this, it wasn’t going to be for nothing.

“You wouldn’t have called us here if you didn’t think there was something we could do. What do you need to free Peter Declan?” she pressed.

Laurel looked back and forth between her and Oliver and shrugged, “At this point, nothing short of a signed confession from Brodeur.

Oliver turned on his heel, heading for the edge of the roof, and she followed him.

“Where are you going?” Laurel asked.

“To get a confession,” Oliver replied bluntly.

* * *

 

“Are you okay?” Oliver asked, watching her with concern while she put on her pajamas. “You’ve been pretty quiet since we got back.”  

She rubbed her hands down her face, “Yeah. It was just hard being back there, you know?”

When they confronted Brodeur, they had learned that some of his goons were planning to stage a fatal accident for Declan that night, so they had sped over to Iron Heights to protect him and Laurel who had gone there to meet with him after talking to them on the roof. Brodeur’s bodyguard had ended up confessing to Camille’s murder and they were able to leave the rest of the situation in the hands of the SCPD and the legal system and head back to the foundry.

Being in Iron Heights again had brought back some memories that she had been trying so hard to put behind her. It made her nervous when they had been surrounded by the SCPD who had arrived on the scene and in the moment the fear that she wasn’t going to be able to outrun her conviction forever coiled tightly around her. Oliver had needed to practically drag her from where she was frozen on the spot.

Even now that they were safely back at the foundry, she still couldn’t quite shake the emotions that she had experienced.

He walked over to curl her into his chest and kiss the top of her head. Some of the tension started to melt away as she relaxed into his arms.

“The days I spent in that cell were horrible.” She mumbled into his chest. “You’re just alone with your thoughts, there’s nothing to distract you from the hundreds of things reeling through your mind and the resignation just settles in that there’s no escaping it. You know what that’s like.”

“I do,” he confirmed, rubbing her back. 

She took a small step back and looked up at him, “I can never thank you enough for getting me out of there.”

“You don’t have to thank me.” His hands trailed up to massage her shoulders. “What you can do is share a delicious chocolate cake with me though.”

Her eyes lit up, “Mmm I almost forgot about that.”

Slipping out of his grasp, she headed for the fridge and grabbed the box of cake. She retrieved two forks and brought it all over to her bed, where he had sat down.

“Well this certainly was the most unusual first date I’ve ever had,” she remarked as she nestled in next to him and opened the box of cake. “But even with going to prison and almost dying, it definitely was not the worst.” She took a bite of cake, licking the fork clean of frosting. “Wow this cake is good.”

“You must have had some terrible dates,” he commented, accepting the fork she handed him.

She tilted her head contemplatively, “The dates weren’t bad, the guys just sucked. I would rather dodge crazy prisoners with you than have a ‘perfect’---” she dropped her fork and made air quotes “---date with anyone else.”

Oliver laughed but as soon as the words left her mouth she felt a pang of guilt.  _ Cooper. _ Not that long ago she would have given anything to be able to go out on a date with him again, and now she was practically talking like he had never existed. Sometimes she wondered if she had moved on too fast. How long were you supposed to grieve before you could love someone new?  _ Not that she had told Oliver that she loved him yet.  _ But if she could somehow trade her relationship with Oliver to get Cooper back, would she do it?

Oliver tapped her forehead, “What’s going on in there?”

She startled, “What?”

“You’re doing that crinkly thing with your eyebrows.”

She sighed, “I’m overthinking.”

“Do you need to talk about it?”

She lifted the box of cake off of the mattress and placed it on her bedside table before straddling his lap and running her hands down his bare chest, “No. I just need you to help me stop thinking.”

The reality was, Cooper was gone. And if he loved her as much as she believed he did, he would want her to be happy, right?

Oliver drew her in close for sweet, chocolatey kiss before pulling away and resting his forehead against hers, “I think I can manage that.”

* * *

 

“You ready for this?” Oliver asked from where he was standing behind her with his hands resting on her shoulders reassuringly.

While they were eating breakfast that morning, she had divulged that she had managed to get into Cooper’s server.

She nodded and took a deep breath, “I am. No more running from the truth.”

Moving her mouse over to the most heavily protected folder in Cooper’s server, she clicked and watched as multiple files opened on her screen. Her eyes darted around, scanning everything.

“Oh.  _ Oh frack.” _


	19. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Thank you so much for your patience while I finished school :) Lots of answered questions in this chapter as we near the end of the story...

_1 Year Ago..._

_“…I apologize for not granting much merit to your opinion on a plan that has already been set in motion after years of careful developing.”_

_“A plan that I could have already blown the whistle on, but as I told you, I’m not interested in blackmailing you.”_

_What he was interested in was a promotion, a chance to do something with a real impact, and so far he had found it nearly impossible to get noticed. A few department heads had realized he was useful for more than removing viruses and asked for his help on projects, but it didn’t change that he was still stuck in the IT department. For Felicity’s sake, he had avoided complaining about his job too much. She seemed to have adjusted well to their life here so far and he was trying to make things work for the future he knew he wanted with her. Stumbling onto the organization and its plans for the Glades had been his lucky strike, if he played his cards right._

_“So what is your proposal?”_

_He pulled a USB drive out of his pocket, “For starters, you’ll need this.”_

_He felt a little guilty for using her virus, but if she wasn’t willing to tap into her genius, he wasn’t going to let it just sit in a box on the shelf._

_Malcolm eyed the drive, “What is it?”_

_“A super computer virus.” He heard Felicity’s voice in his head and he corrected himself, “An x-axis bio-numeric algorithm.”_

_“I understood_ super computer virus _better Mr. Seldon.”_

_He cleared his throat, “With this virus you can take complete control of the Glades, well, the whole city actually--probably. But anyway, once I recode it slightly to work on such a large scale, you would have access to the power grid, computer servers, everything. Essentially you could create controlled chaos to target and eradicate the crime and corruption instead of just turning a large portion of the city into rubble and hurting innocent people in the process. I really think that---”_

_“How long have you lived in this city, Mr. Seldon?” He didn’t wait for an answer before continuing, “Have you personally experienced the brutalities that occur in an area so infected as the Glades? Because I have! It isn’t salvageable. We’ve tried, for years, and all we’ve done is fail this city by allowing this disease to fester. Completely destroying it is the only option, the only way we can rebuild without the crime.”_

_Malcolm’s outburst didn’t deter him, he had planned for this._

_“Is that how the rest of your organization feels?”_

_He narrowed his eyes, “What are you implying?”_

_“I think that you’ve had to coerce people into agreeing to this plan. Not to mention that it seems to me like you’ve had to do quite a bit of clean up over the years. Such lengths you went to in order to remove Robert Queen from the picture….”_

_Malcolm leaned in close, “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”_

_“Oh but I do. You’d be surprised what someone can find with a little too much time on their hands and the right tools. How long until someone else decides they’ve had enough? Will you be able to keep everyone under control until the seismic device is completed? According to the latest update from Unidac, you’re still a year away.”_

_After his initial discoveries of the plans for the Undertaking, Felicity’s virus had helped him to access things that had been carefully buried and he began to unravel the complicated web of secrets that Malcolm had spun over the years. He could expose the organization himself, or take everything he had found to the police, but that wouldn’t fix the problems in the Glades, or get him anywhere. Besides, he wasn’t sure that the police weren’t capable of stopping this even if they did know about it._

_Malcolm’s jaw tightened and Cooper raised the file in his hand, “Agree to my terms and this is yours to destroy.”_

_It wasn’t worth mentioning that there was still a few items that he could present as incriminating evidence on his own server just in case. His firewalls were beyond sophisticated. Beyond him, there was only one other person who stood a chance at gaining access. And she didn’t need to know about this. Besides the fact that he didn’t think she would approve, keeping her in the dark was the best way to keep her safe. With everything he had learned about Malcolm, a man who was willing to have his own friend killed, he didn’t trust him._

_And yet here he was, about to make a deal with the devil. He could only hope that it worked out the way he wanted._

“Oh. Oh frack.”

“What?” Oliver leaned in close and looked at her screen over her shoulder.

“Well there’s a lot of random stuff in here, so I’m making some assumptions, but I think I know now why the symbol in your notebook was also in Cooper’s files… It appears to represent an organization that Malcolm Merlyn, and at one time, your dad apparently, are involved in. Cooper has some information in here that he must have found on them, but it’s not very detailed; just a few documents, emails, etc.” She paused for a second to skim through some of the files as she opened them. “Hmm… It seems that their intent is to fix the problems with the city, namely the Glades, through something called The Undertaking.”

“But what about---“

She turned her head to look up at him, “And by fixing the problems, I’m pretty sure they mean completely eradicating them by turning the Glades into a pile of rubble.”

His eyes widened and she continued, “There’s plans in here from Unidac Industries and QC’s Applied Sciences Division for a seismic device that would create an earthquake with a scale capable of leveling a huge area. Of course, this is assuming that this is all related and not just a random assortment of documents.”

“If Cooper knew about this device, why didn’t he go to the police?” Oliver asked hesitantly.

She shook her head, “That’s not Cooper’s style, or it wasn’t. He was into the hacktivism because he wanted to take matters into his own hands, be a hero. It would be more consistent with his MO to just release everything he found onto the internet, but I guess he was murdered before he could. Of course that would mean that Malcolm somehow knew that Cooper knew…”

Clicking open another file, she narrowed her eyes, “Oh, and there’s the other confusing piece of the puzzle. Wondered when that was going to show up.”

“Huh?”

“This is the code for my virus, but it’s been modified.”

“Modified to do what?”

Her brow furrowed, “I’m not entirely sure. Whatever Cooper was doing to it, there’s unfinished coding.”

“Felicity…”

“I know what this looks like.” She sighed, “Cooper didn’t expose the organization because he made some shady deal with Malcolm and got himself involved in this Undertaking. A super virus and an earthquake device would be quite the disastrous duo. I guess someone didn’t keep up their end though and that’s how I ended up in this predicament.”

Oliver squeezed her shoulder, “We don’t have to assume that. Your code could be for a project he was working on, unrelated to anything involving Malcolm. Maybe he was trying to change it to be used for something good? Besides, if my father was a part of this organization, this plan for the Undertaking has probably been in motion for more than five years. Long before Cooper started working at Merlyn Global.”

“You trust basically no one and you’re willing to believe that Cooper wasn’t somehow a bad guy in all of this?”

He averted his eyes, “I’d like to believe that someone you loved was deserving of it.”

Was that code for: He’d like to believe that _he_ was deserving of her love?

That was a conversation for later.

“Right… so what do we do now?”

“We need to find out more about this Undertaking. Is there anything else in Cooper’s server?”

She bit her lip nervously, “You don’t think we should turn this over to the police?”

“What will they do with it? Arrest Malcolm? For what? I don’t think there’s enough here that could actually incriminate him for anything, especially with his connections in high places. The corruption in this city runs deep, and who knows how long we have until that seismic device levels the Glades?” He started pacing and she noticed his fingers had begun to twitch.

“Okay… well the small amount of good news is, with the schematics that Cooper has on the device, I should have no problem shutting it down. We really need to get some more clarification on what’s going on though.” Felicity commented as she skimmed through an email that Cooper must have deleted from the inbox she had gone through a few weeks ago. “And I think I know who we might be able to get some information out of. Your mom.”

“What?”

“There’s an email in here that your mom sent to Cooper. She applauds him for the ‘fresh ideas’ he was bringing to the organization with the use of his computer program, which I’m going to guess is actually my virus.” She sighed, “So, I think we can rule out Cooper not being involved. But anyway, there’s also a warning of the dangers of getting involved with Malcolm. She warns him of the sacrifices he might be forced to make.” She paused to choose her next words carefully. “Oliver, I don’t think what happened to the Queen’s Gambit was an accident.”

His brow crinkled as he paused his pacing to lean against the counter, “What do you mean?”

“She said to be careful not to forget what he had discovered about Malcolm’s hand in Robert’s death, and to be prepared to do whatever was necessary, no matter the cost, to keep whoever was most important to him safe.”

She assumed that she had been the most important person to Cooper. Despite keeping all of this from her, he had still been planning on proposing.

_Whatever the cost…_

Did the price for her safety end up being his own life?

With every question answered, a million more seemed to arise. 

Oliver shook his head, “I don’t--- I don’t understand. How could---“ He ran a hand down his face, “Malcolm and my father, they were friends.”

She stood up from her chair and walked over to wrap her arms around his waist, pressing her face into his shoulder and offering him silent comfort. It was becoming apparent that this Undertaking was responsible for taking much from both of them and it hadn’t even shaken the earth yet.

Oliver broke the silence a few moments later, his voice devoid of emotion, “We need to talk to her.”

She set her chin on his shoulder to look up at him, “She’s been keeping these secrets for a long time; I doubt she would reveal anything willingly to the Vigilante. But if you confront her, how are you going to explain how you found out all of this? Without revealing either of our secrets? I mean, unless you think it’s necessary…”  

“I have an idea,” he interrupted her. “I need you and Digg’s help though.”

* * *

 

“Is that tight on you?” Felicity asked from where they were hiding on the Queen’s property.

“Yes,” Digg grunted, raising his leather clad arm stiffly. “The dumbest part of this whole plan is thinking that it was realistic for me to wear Oliver’s clothes.”

She bit her lip to keep from smiling in amusement, “I think he likes to believe that he’s as big and strong as you.”

Digg laughed, “He better keep hitting that tire of his… and hope for a late growth spurt.”

In all seriousness though, she had no complaints about Oliver’s body. Absolutely none. Zero. But a little levity and joking helped to ease her nerves over what they were about to do, and the answers it might bring for both her and Oliver.

“I’ve never interrogated anyone before,” she remarked as they watched the windows for Oliver and Moira to move into position.

“Well there’s a first time for everything. You got the power?”

She nodded and hurried over to the breaker box to wait for Digg’s cue before flipping the switch. The sound of glass breaking filled the air as Digg fired the tranq darts into the living room and they found their targets.

“Ok, let’s get them to the van,” Digg directed her, jogging towards the door.

They entered the room where Oliver and Moira were sprawled out on the floor and Digg slung Oliver over his shoulder.   

“You got her?” he asked.

Felicity gingerly picked up Moira, muttering, “Not how I envisioned my first meeting with my boyfriend’s mother.”

Or whatever Oliver was to her. “Boyfriend” felt a little too official for their situation.

They carried Oliver and Moira out to the van and she was thankful that there wasn’t any neighbors nearby to accidentally witness this.

When they arrived at the abandoned warehouse in the Glades that Oliver had instructed, she helped Digg tie them to chairs before the sedatives wore off and they regained conscious.

They stood concealed in the shadows and waited until they heard Oliver’s voice.

“Mom!”

“Oliver?”

“Are you okay?” he asked.

Felicity hoped she was, she had tried to be a very courteous kidnapper.

“Oliver? What—“ Felicity watched as Moira became aware of her predicament and struggled against the restraints on her wrists. “We’ve got to get out of here.”

“It’s go time,” Digg whispered to her before stepping forward and switching on the voice modulator.

“Moira Queen. You have failed this city.”

“Please,” Moira pleaded. “Do not hurt my son.”

The people most important to her. Moira was in this to keep her children safe.

“Tell me what the Undertaking is and I won’t have to,” Digg threatened, stepping close to Oliver.

They already had an idea of what the Undertaking entailed thanks to their discoveries on Cooper’s server, but it wasn’t exactly like there was a detailed narrative of the plan in there. The random pieces of the puzzle that they had: the plans for the device, the information about the organization, her virus, only left them with more questions. Also, she was specifically curious of what Moira knew about Cooper’s involvement.

Digg’s question was met with silence and she noticed the slight tip of the head that Oliver gave him. Closing her eyes, she braced herself for the sound of Digg’s fist impacting with Oliver’s face.

“Tell me!” Digg yelled as Moira protested.

Digg landed another punch and Moira cried out again, “Please! Leave my son alone!”

“What is Malcolm Merlyn planning?”

“I can’t tell you! He’ll kill me! He’ll kill my family!”

Felicity felt a pang of sympathy for the woman as she watched tears stream down her face.

She stepped forward into the dim light and stood in front of her, switching on her voice modulator.

“We already know about the seismic device and the virus, Moira. How is Malcolm planning on using them?”

She shook her head adamantly, whispering, “He’ll kill them, he’ll kill my children.”

“You should be more afraid of what I’ll do!” Digg threatened, sending Oliver’s chair tipping over to the ground with the force of his punch.

Felicity winced as Moira screamed.

“Malcolm is planning on using the seismic device to level the Glades!” she finally cracked. “He said so he could rebuild it but---“

“And what about the virus?” Felicity pressed gently. “How does Cooper Seldon fit into all of this?”

A hint of surprise passed across Moira’s face at the mention of his name and she sighed, “Mr. Seldon somehow found out about the organization and the Undertaking, things no one should have been able to find out about. He offered a different option, to use the virus to cripple those responsible for the crime without getting as many innocent people caught in the crosshairs and Malcolm shockingly agreed.” She shook her head, “I should have known better. It was just a way to keep Cooper distracted and quiet without having to kill him off because Malcolm wanted to have access to the virus for when he began the rebuilding of the Glades, so that he could have total control and things wouldn’t be able to get so bad again. Cooper eventually realized that Malcolm was still intending to level the Glades and he wanted out, but Malcolm threatened his girlfriend and he was justifiably afraid. Malcolm is a monster, there’s no way out of his schemes once you’re in.”

Felicity closed her eyes as she processed everything that Moira had said. The pieces were sliding into place but there still wasn’t an explanation for how Cooper ended up with his throat slit in her foyer.

“Was Malcolm responsible for Cooper’s death?” she whispered. 

Moira nodded, “As things were progressing with the seismic device, Malcolm decided that he was too much of a liability to keep around with his convictions wavering, that he would find some other way to finish the recoding of the virus and--- and he had him killed. They covered their tracks by framing the girlfriend, I’m sure you saw the news a few months ago---Please, please don’t make me say anything else. I’ve already said too much.”

“Why would you get involved in something like this?” Digg asked, ignoring her pleas.

“My husband,” she choked out. “He got involved without my knowing. He was just trying to do some good.” She sniffled, “He was lost, his decisions left me vulnerable to Malcolm and I had no choice. I had to protect my family, my children.”

“This device… where is it?” Digg inquired.

“I don’t know,” she insisted.

“If you don’t tell us, we can’t stop Merlyn,” Felicity said. Now that she knew for sure who was responsible for Cooper’s death, she was ready to make him pay, but they needed to stop this Undertaking first.

“Oh, you can’t stop him,” Moira replied, her voice filled with defeat. “It’s too late.”

Digg pulled out a flechette from the sleeve of his jacket and began to walk over to Oliver.

“No, no, no, no!” Moira begged. “I told you everything!”

Digg cut Oliver free and Felicity stepped forward to use one of her own flechettes to cut away Moira’s bindings. Following Digg out of the building, they drove back to the foundry to wait for Oliver to return. After they changed back into their street clothes, she sat nervously spinning around in her chair as she could only imagine what Oliver must be thinking. It was one thing to have a suspicion of what his mother was involved with, but to hear it from her directly had to have shaken him up.

She herself was feeling a complicated mixture of emotions. Sure, Cooper was not entirely innocent and she was angry that he had kept all of this from her, but he hadn’t agreed with the desolation of hundreds--- thousands of innocent people’s homes and lives. He had been trying to be a hero, he just went about it in all the wrong ways. He paid the price for his mistake with his life, but it wasn’t fair that she had ended up paying it too.

The wheels in her brain started to turn when Oliver walked down the stairs and drew her attention.

“Ooooh,” she cringed as she saw the condition of his face and hopped up from her chair. “You said you were going to pull your punches Digg.”

She had been surprised by how real the whole situation felt in the warehouse. If she didn’t know better she would have been worried for Oliver. It was no wonder Moira had been in such a panic.

“I did,” Digg insisted.

Reaching up, she cupped Oliver’s chin, “Let me get you an icepack for… everything.”

He took her hand in his and squeezed it gently, “I’m fine. Are you?”

She nodded, “Yes. Look, Oliver I’m really sorry about---“

“Not now,” he shook his head. “Right now we need to find out whatever we can about Unidac Industries, see if there’s anything that could point us towards where this device is.”

“Well, we know Queen Consolidated acquired them a few months ago. Remember the auction?” she asked as she walked over to her computer. “Not sure how you could, it was pretty eventful…”

Oliver nodded and she heard Digg grunt in acknowledgment from behind her.

She pulled up a search and read off of her screen, “Unidac is a small research and development technology company that specializes in seismic infringement. No surprise there. Oh, and then there’s that thing that I saw in the news the other day, the ‘Unidac Massacre.’ I completely forgot about that when we first found the plans for the device, but a few nights ago, several members of Unidac’s staff were murdered while at work.”

“Timing can’t be a coincidence,” Digg commented.

She glanced over at Oliver, “I agree. The device must be finished by now and Malcolm’s cleaning up more of his tracks. I would say that we’re looking at a pretty limited time frame.”

A headline caught her eye, “Oh, and this article is claiming that the police suspect the copycat archer was responsible. Was kinda hoping we had seen the last of him.”

A repeat of the incident at Christmastime was the last thing she wanted to deal with.

“So the other archer works for Merlyn,” Digg remarked in shock, walking over to look at her screen.

“I think you’re right Felicity,” Oliver squeezed her shoulder. “Malcolm’s tying up loose ends. Erasing any evidence of this device’s existence so no one can trace the Undertaking back to him.”

Digg looked over at Oliver, “Alright, so you’re going to have a pointed conversation with Mr. Merlyn.”

“I have a few things I’d like to say to him too,” Felicity muttered.

“Well, even if I take out Merlyn, the other archer is still out there,” Oliver pointed out. “He can set off the device, which is why we need to find it. Then Merlyn can get his.”

“Are you planning on giving Tommy the heads up that Malcolm is not only a crappy father but an evil mastermind before or after all of this goes down?” she asked.

Oliver ran a hand down his face, “I suppose before would be better. Not really sure how to start that conversation though. Right now let’s just focus on finding this device.” 

“Okay, well, when I retrieved Cooper’s server from the Merlyn Global mainframe I also installed a Trojan horse so that I could access the mainframe again without having to be directly connected. I hadn’t activated it yet, so hopefully it’s gone undetected. There’s got to be something on that system that could point us in the right direction. I’ll get the Trojan up and running and start combing through whatever data I can pull off.”

“Good,” he commended before walking over to his chest where he kept his bow and sighing.

“Are you sure you’re alright Oliver?” Digg asked. “You’ve learned a lot of unfortunate information about your family in the last 24 hours.”

He grabbed his notebook from the chest and turned to face them, “My father, he told me that he failed the city and asked me to right his wrongs, but I never knew what he meant until now. It’s the Undertaking. I promised myself that when I crossed off all these names off the list, I’d be done, but taking down these people doesn’t honor him. I was just treating the symptoms while the disease festered. I stop the Undertaking, I wipe out the disease.”

“What are you saying Oliver?” Digg asked. “You would hang up the hood?”

Oliver shrugged, “Merlyn’s plan is what I returned from the island to stop.”

Well that was all fine and grand except that Felicity had been counting on that list taking them a while to get through. Once Oliver hung up the hood, she would have no purpose in this city and, as much as she loved him, she would leave.

Except the fact that Moira Queen knew the truth about Cooper’s death.

And maybe, just maybe, if they could bring Malcolm to justice for his crimes surrounding the Undertaking and lock him up somewhere he couldn’t lay a finger on the Queen family, Moira would be willing to come forward and help clear her name. 

Of course that didn’t solve the problem that technically, she was dead.

Digg grabbed his jacket, “Alright, well it sounds like there’s not much that I can be of help with right now so I’m going to get home and get some rest. Call me if anything comes up though.”  

“We will,” Felicity promised. “Thanks for your help earlier.”

Once he left, Felicity activated her Trojan horse and swiveled around in her chair to face Oliver, “It’s probably going to take an hour or so to get in and pull off the data.” She yawned, “I think I’ll take a quick nap in the meantime.”

Oliver didn’t acknowledge her, so she stood up and walked over to him, “Oliver?”

He looked up at her with tired eyes, “Yeah--- sorry, what did you say?”

She reached for his hand, “I’m taking a nap and you look like you could use one too.” She tugged him towards the stairs, “C’mon.”

He followed her up to her apartment without complaint and stripped down to his underwear before lying down in her little bed. Shedding her own clothes, she nestled against his chest. Her fingertips gently traced one of the bruises on his jawline before she tipped her chin up to press a feather light kiss to the purple and blue skin.

“Umm, so I know I said that we should take things one day at a time… but if you’re planning on hanging up the hood sooner rather than later, we should probably discuss what that means for us,” she whispered. It was stupid of her to think that she was actually going to be able to fall asleep with this uncertainty hanging over her head.

He kissed the top of her head, “Once we’ve dealt with Malcolm and the truth comes out, we can put all of this behind us and have normal lives. We can have a normal life together.”

“I’d like that, but I’m supposed to be dead,” she pointed out.

“We’ll figure something out,” he replied drowsily. “I don’t want you to leave. I feel like I barely know my own family anymore, Tommy and Laurel have each other, I can’t—“ He yawned, “I can’t lose you…”

She smiled softly as she watched him drift off to sleep and a small bit of optimism filled her that being able to “have it all” wasn’t quite so far out of reach as she had once thought.


	20. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well guys, this is the final full length chapter. There will be a slightly shorter epilogue next week that will tie up the rest of the loose ends. Thank you so much for all of your support for this story, it has been a lot of fun to share it with you all :)

Felicity’s eyes flew open in a panic.

  
Glancing over at the clock she exhaled in relief as she realized that she hadn’t slept as long as she feared. She shifted out from underneath Oliver’s arm and attempted to get out of bed without waking him. Sleep was rare for him and there was nothing he could do while she looked through the data from Merlyn Global to hopefully find a location for where the seismic device was being held.

  
She hoped that when all this was over Oliver would allow himself some peace. Between his five years away with who knows what kind of unending horrors, and the months since he had been back spent on his crusade, there hadn’t been much time for him to just live.

  
He had said that he wanted to have a normal life but she felt that he would eventually feel the pull towards his bow again. Stopping the Undertaking might be his current mission, but, whether he believed it or not, he was a hero. That core of who he was went far beyond fulfilling his duty to his father. He had the potential to do some real good for this city.

  
As for her, she wasn’t sure. She had certainly found purpose in helping Oliver, purpose that she wouldn’t have had in prison, but if she was able to return to her old life, would she no longer have a need for her hood and bow? Inspecting a bruise on her thigh, she figured that her body at the very least might be grateful to give it up.

  
Stepping into Oliver’s world had changed her though. And not just in the “I have six-pack abs now” kind of way. It forced her to be the person that Cooper had challenged her to become. The one she had been too afraid, too content to hide in her cubicle, to be. She knew that while she would be happy to take a break from risking her life on the regular, she wouldn’t be content forever to act like she hadn’t found the hero within herself. Her fingers would itch to hack into a building’s security system or draw her bowstring…

  
But maybe she was getting ahead of herself. Her options were more than a little limited if she was stuck being legally dead. There would be no old life to return to and no future here either. Stopping Malcolm needed to happen first if they were going to be able to rectify that problem.  
Oliver stirred and his eyes blinked open when he realized she had abandoned her position next to him.

  
“Where are you going?” he asked sleepily as she stood up from where she was sitting on the edge of the bed.

  
“I need to start looking through the data my program pulled of the server so we can figure out the location of this device,” she reminded him.

  
Her words jolted him fully awake and he sat up to slide off the bed as well, “You think it’s going to be as easy as that?”

  
She shrugged, “People keep secrets; computers don’t.” She patted his chest, “If it’s on there, I’ll find it.”

  
They walked downstairs and she sat down to work. After a few minutes she looked up over her screen and narrowed her eyes at Oliver.

  
“Please stop pacing. You’re making me anxious.”

  
He paused and turned to her, “Sorry. Any luck yet?”

  
She shook her head, “No. I’m going as fast as I can, but there’s a lot of data on here.”

  
Dropping her gaze back to her screen, she continued her search and sense Oliver walk over to hover behind her shoulder.

  
“Oliver…”

  
“I’m sorry I just--- I’m not good at waiting around.” His hands found her shoulders and she sighed as his fingers pressed into her tense muscles. She was going to be requesting lots of back rubs when this was all over.

  
“Well…” She brightened as she finally found what she was looking for. “You’re in luck. The Markov device is being held at a warehouse owned by Merlyn Global group here in the Glades.”

  
“Okay, good work.” He gave her shoulders one final squeeze. “Call Digg and you two can go take care of it while I confront Merlyn. Do you have a way of locating him?”

  
“According to my Trojan, he’s logged onto his computer at his office, so I would say it’s safe to assume he’s there.” She gave him a quick kiss, “Be safe.”

  
“I’ve dealt with a lot worse than Malcolm Merlyn, I’ll be fine.” He promised before walking off to suit up.

* * *

  
“This is the place?” Digg asked as they stood outside the warehouse located at the address she had found.

  
“Yep,” she confirmed, drawing an arrow and holding her bow up defensively as she followed him in. His flashlight lit up the rows of shelved and crates as they tentatively crept through the building.

  
“Keep your eyes peeled for something labeled with the Unidac logo,” she suggested, as she clicked on her own flashlight and they split up to cover more ground quickly.

  
Pushing aside a plastic curtain at the end of a row, she spotted a large crate with the telltale emblem.

  
“Gotcha!” she whispered. Stepping forward, her heart sank, “Or not.”

  
She was almost positive that the device had at one time been here, but the crate was now empty. Recently emptied, if she had to take a guess.

  
“Digg,” she called him over from where he was still searching. “The device has been moved. I’m going to tell Oliver.”

  
She turned on her comms link, “Oliver. The device—it’s gone.”

  
From the other end, she could hear him talking to Malcolm.

  
And then crashing noises.

  
Lots and lots of crashing.

  
She cringed and looked over at Digg, “Did you hear that too?”

  
He grunted in acknowledgement, “Hopefully that’s just Oliver’s interrogation tactics being employed. Let’s get out of here, I’m sure we’ll hear from him soon.”

  
Nodding in agreement, she followed him out of the warehouse.

  
Back at the foundry, the minutes ticked by slowly and now she was pacing. She clearly wasn’t much better than Oliver at waiting around.

  
She glanced over at Digg, “He still hasn’t responded to any of my attempts to make contact. What if something went wrong? Really wrong?”

  
Digg frowned, “Yeah we should try and find him…”

  
“Oh that won’t be too hard.” She tilted her head, “Unless he somehow lost his shoes… Well hopefully they’re at least nearby. Let me just check and see where he is…” She pulled her tablet out of its case in her quiver and pulled up the signal for the GPS tracker in Oliver’s boot.

  
“He has a tracker in his boot?” Digg asked with an amused smile.

  
“Hey, it’s helpful.” She pointed out. “Okay… got him. Let’s go.”

* * *

  
“So… let me get this straight, Malcolm Merlyn and the archer are the same person?” Felicity inquired as she cleaned some blood off of Oliver’s face.

They had found him held captive in a basement and, while he had actually been doing a pretty good job of escaping on his own, they helped take out a few guards before driving him back to the foundry while he explained his encounter with Merlyn.

"Yes,” he confirmed with a nod. “You said the design schematics for the device are in Cooper’s files, right?”

  
“Mhmm, we should have no problem shutting down the device, we just need to somehow find it.”

  
“We might not find it.” He stood up, wincing in pain, “I have no idea what Merlyn’s timetable is but now that he knows we’re onto him, I doubt he’s going to waste time. We need to make sure we get as many people out of the Glades as possible.”

  
Picking up the burner phone, he dialed a number and waited for the person to pick up.

  
“Hello Detective,” Oliver greeted Lance. “I need your help.”

  
Felicity couldn’t hear the other end of the conversation so she wondered how Lance was reacting to being roped into this. Sure, he had helped them a few times in the past but the anti-vigilante task force was still very much a thing.

  
“Malcolm Merlyn plans to level the Glades with a manmade earthquake using technology from Unidac Industries.”

  
“I don’t know what Merlyn’s timetable is, so you need to evacuate the Glades immediately. Get as many people to safety as you can. Whatever you think of me, Detective, please… believe this.”

  
When he hung up she asked, “What now?”

  
“I need to go talk to Tommy… and my mother. Stay available, both of you. And contact me immediately if you hear or find anything.”

  
“Okay.” She and Digg replied in sync.

  
She glanced over at him and winked, “Jinx!”

* * *

  
“The Undertaking is happening tonight,” Oliver announced as he walked down the stairs a few hours later.

  
Her eyes widened, “What?”

  
“Malcolm called my mom while I was with her,” he explained.

  
“Okay… well Digg and I might have thought of something helpful. The symbol, in your notebook and Cooper’s files, the logo for the organization? It’s not just a random design. It’s a map of the old subway tunnel system.”

  
“And you think…”

  
She nodded, “Where else would be the best location to place a device meant to create an earthquake in an otherwise geologically stable area than underground?”

  
“Show him the thing about the tectonic plates,” Digg prompted.

  
“Okay yeah so here’s a U.S geological survey—“ She pulled up a different window on her screen. “--- of the tectonic plates running underneath Starling city.” She pointed at an area on the map, “This red line here is a known fault that runs right beneath the Glades.”

  
“About a mile, the fault runs underneath the old Tenth Street subway line,” Digg added.

  
She glanced over her shoulder at Oliver, “Dollars to donuts, the seismic device is somewhere along there.”

  
A look of recognition passed across his face, “I know where it is.”

  
She gave him a look, hoping for some more explanation, but before he could say anything else, his phone rang.

  
“Now is not a good time,” she heard him say as he walked away from her and Digg.

  
“What channel?” he asked urgently a moment later.

  
“Felicity, pull up the local news, please.”

  
He came to stand behind her as she fulfilled his request.

  
_“My name is Moira Dearden Queen. And God forgive me, I have failed this city.”_

  
“Your catchphrase is catching on,” Felicity muttered.

  
_“For the past five years, under the threat for my life and the lives of my family… I have been complicit in an undertaking with one horrible purpose---“ Moira paused and even though Felicity knew what she was going to say, she found herself holding her breath. “--- to destroy the Glades and everyone in it.”_ _Gasps echoed from the crowd of reporters as she continued, “I realize now that my family’s safety will mean nothing if I let this dreadful act occur. But you need to know that the architect of this nightmare is Malcolm Merlyn.”_

"It’s probably a good thing she’s going to be taken into police custody,” Felicity commented, before hastily adding an explanation. “I mean not a good thing, but you know, she’ll be safe from Merlyn who’s probably not too happy right now.”

  
_“Yes, and I have proof that he has killed dozens in pursuit of this madness, including Adam Hunt, Frank Chen, and my husband Robert.”_

  
And Cooper.

  
_“Please. If you reside in the Glades, you need to get out now. Your lives and the lives of your children depend on it. Please.”_

  
They watched as she exchanged a few words with Thea that were hard to hear as reporters clamored around, followed by the police to arrest her.

  
Felicity spun around in her chair to face Oliver, “I’m sorry.”

  
She didn’t like having to see Moira have to take the fall for any of this. Malcolm was to blame, he should be the one getting arrested, but she knew the police were no match for him if Oliver could barely hold his own in a fight with him.

  
Oliver shook his head, “Don’t be. She gave those people a chance. The police wouldn’t listen to Lance and evacuate on my word alone, they’ll have to step in and help with evacuations now.”

  
“I was going over the device schematics, the device can be set for a timed detonation or can be remote activated by a mobile transmitter.”

  
“Something Merlyn could have on him,” Oliver commented.

  
He walked over to one of his chests and opened it up.

  
“I thought Merlyn broke your bow when you confronted him…”

  
“I have another,” he replied, pulling out an older looking, simple bow.

  
“Listen, Oliver, if we can just get our hands on this transmitter, maybe we don’t need to track down the device,” Digg suggested.

  
“It’s too big of an ‘if,’ Diggle. I need you in the subway, find the device, disarm it.”

  
She didn’t like the way it sounded like she was going to be left out of this plan.

  
“So you can take on Merlyn by yourself?” she asked.

  
Oliver sighed, “I have to.

  
“Oh, he’ll kill you Oliver,” Digg remarked.

  
She was going to put it a little more tactfully, but yeah, she couldn’t help but agree.

  
“I know.”

  
Her eyes narrowed, “You know? YOU KNOW?” Stepping forward, she poked his chest, “Less than 24 hours ago you told me that we were going to get to have a normal life together when all this is over and we can’t do that if you’re dead. I don’t know what’s going on in that head of yours now but you need to pull yourself together and realize that you have a team here and you’re not going off alone on some kamikaze, self-sacrificing mission.”

  
He opened his mouth to reply but she wasn’t done yet, “Diggle will go with you to take care of Merlyn, and I will go deactivate the device. Okay?” She glanced back at Digg and mouthed, “Okay?” at him.

  
He stepped forward, “Yeah. I can’t let you do this by yourself man. Army regulations, a soldier never lets a brother go into battle alone.” He held out his hand and Oliver looked down at it before extending his own.

  
“I’m out of bows,” he said.

  
Digg smiled, “I got my gun.”

  
Oliver looked over at her, “Are you sure you’re going to be able to get to the device and get out safely? This whole area is ground zero, it’s dangerous.”

  
She crossed her arms, “You have not trained me for the past months to just sit on the sidelines when you need me the most. I can do this.”

  
Reluctantly, he nodded in agreement, “Okay. You’re right. The device is in the subway station near Puckett Street.”

  
“How do you know?”

  
“It’s where Merlyn’s wife was murdered.”

  
“Oh. Wow. Motive is becoming a little clearer now. Talk about taking an eye for an eye a little too far…”

  
He shook his head, “Yeah. Let’s go suit up.” He looked over at Digg, “We’ll be right back.”

  
Once they were changed, he pulled her in for a hug, “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to just give myself up to Merlyn. I meant what I said about us having a life together--- I just—“

  
She pulled back and interrupted him, “It’s okay. You want to end this, in whatever way it takes, I understand. You just can’t let yourself forget that you’re not alone. We’re going to end this, together.”

  
He smiled, “Yeah.” He leaned down to give her a kiss before pressing his forehead to hers and whispering, “I have so many plans for our first normal day.”

  
She bit her lip, “I can’t wait.”

  
“Let’s go.”

* * *

  
She wove her bike through the chaotic streets of the Glades as people ran about in panic on her way to the subway station. Once she was inside, she flicked on her flashlight and began to walk along the tracks in search of the device.  
Her eyes widened when she saw the blue glow emanating from it and she rushed forward. Finding the circuit board on it, she pulled it out and saw that there was seven minutes remaining on the timer.

  
She swallowed nervously as she realized how close she was cutting it.

  
“Blue wire, blue wire, blue…,” she muttered to herself.

Upon severing the wire, the device started making whirring noises and she looked over to see that the timer had sped up and was heading rapidly toward zero.

  
“Oh frack…”

  
Pulling her tablet out, she pulled up the schematics to try and figure out how to override the anti-tamper safeguard she must have triggered.

  
“Please let this work,” she whispered as she disconnected another wire, breathing a sigh of relief as the lights turned off and the device powered down.

  
She switched on her comms, “Oliver, I did it. The device, it’s off.”

  
A pause.

  
“Felicity…. there’s another device. There’s two of them!”

  
“What?!”

  
She felt the earth begin to shake and heard buildings start to crumble not too far from her.

  
“Felicity! You need to get out of the Glades!”

  
“Already on it!” she replied as she sprinted through the subway tunnel.

  
When she got back up onto the streets, she ran into Detective Lance.

  
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! I deactivated the device, we didn’t know that there was a second one.” She shook her head, “We didn’t know.”

  
“My daughter! Laurel! She’s at CNRI!” he exclaimed, taking off in the direction of the law offices.

  
“Wait! Detective! I’ve got her, you need to go help other people get out of here.”

Lance paused and looked back at her skeptically.

“I’ve got her, I promise. Now go!”

  
He nodded and changed directions, heading for a group of people who were trapped where some cars had piled up.

  
She ran towards the CNRI building, her heart racing as she saw flames and debris everywhere.

  
“Oliver?” She switched on her comms again, “Are you alright?”

  
“Yeah, are you?”

  
“I’m fine. The damage seems to be contained to the east side, past Wells Street.”

  
“Where are you?”

  
“…On the east side…”

  
“Why?” he growled.

  
“Laurel, she’s trapped at CNRI, I’m going in to get her.” She switched off her comms before he could protest.

  
At the entrance to the building, she spotted Tommy about to enter.

  
“What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice modulator on.

  
“My girlfriend, she’s stuck in there, I have to help her.”

  
“Absolutely not!”

  
She was not letting Oliver’s best friend go into a crumbling building.

  
“I’m not leaving her!” he protested.

  
“Thomas Merlyn.” His eyes widened in surprise at her tone and the use of his full name. Good, she had his attention. “You will stay out here, and I will go in and get Laurel. Then, the two of you will get out of the Glades. Okay? Okay.”

  
Running in, she heard Laurel calling out for help and she found her underneath a huge chunk of concrete. All of the hard work that Oliver had put her through to build up her strength better count for something now.

  
When she crouched down to lift the slab she didn’t realize that her hood had slipped off.

  
“Felicity?!” Laurel exclaimed. “You’re alive? You’re--- you--- what?”

  
Shaking her head because, at this point, her identity was really the least of her concerns, she quickly brushed past Laurel’s shock,“Hey, yes, it’s me. Long story, we’ll talk about it later. Right now, let’s get you out of here.”

  
Her muscles burned as she strained to lift the concrete high enough for her to slip out from underneath.

  
“Get up! Go!” she grunted and Laurel rolled out. “Tommy’s waiting for you, I’ll be right behind you!”

  
That had been her plan at least. The falling chunks of building had other ideas.

  
Before her brain could even process what was happening she was on the ground and trapped. Her right leg felt like it had shattered into a million pieces and pain was shooting through her entire body.

  
She struggled to try and free herself but she couldn’t budge. Her comms link was still switched off and she could only hope that Oliver or Digg might come looking for her after she didn't check in.

  
“Oliver,” she gasped out as she saw him through the smoke and falling debris.

  
“Felicity?” his head whipped around wildly as he searched for her.

  
“Oliver!” she attempted again, the weight of the concrete making each breathe harder to come by. If he didn’t find her soon, she wasn’t sure she was going to have any chance at making it. The searing pain that had been shooting up her right leg had gone completely numb and she could feel blood trickling down her face. She attempted once more to get out from underneath the slab that was trapping her but it was a futile waste of strength and energy. Her heart was pounding loudly in her ears and she felt like it was beating itself to death.  
Finally, his eyes locked on hers and she saw the panic ignite in them as he took in her situation. Weaving his way through the crumbling building, he made his way to her and started lifting debris off of her.

  
“You’re going to be okay; it’s okay,” he muttered.

  
She knew she wasn’t.

  
“Oliver,” she choked out, her eyes stinging with tears from both the smoke and the realization that she was running out of time.

There was so much more that she had wanted with him. This wasn’t how their story was supposed to end. “Oliver look at me.”

  
He glanced up at her and she attempted a smile.

  
“I love you,” she whispered. She hoped that he already knew it, but she needed to say the words. She wasn’t sure this was going to make it easier for him to lose her or not but he needed to hear it. He needed to know that he was loveable, that he deserved so much from life. She didn’t know if her lungs could take in enough air to say everything she wanted, but she had to try. “I didn’t think I’d ever get to love someone again after Cooper died, and you gave me that chance. Thank you. Thank you for saving me from that prison cell, for showing me how strong I could be, for---”

  
He shook his head, “Hey. Don’t talk like that, you’re going to be okay. I’m getting you out of here.”

  
“Are Laurel and Tommy safe?” she asked. She needed to know that her sacrifice was worth it, that he was still going to have his friends. He was going to need them.

  
“Yes, yes they’re getting out of the Glades now.” He removed the chunk of concrete from her leg and she didn’t miss the horrified expression that flashed across his face before he pasted on a proud smile to hide it. “You saved Laurel, you’re a hero.”

  
He knelt down to lift the biggest piece of concrete off of her but she already felt like her chest was collapsing in on itself. There was one more thing she needed to know before she closed her eyes and let go.

  
“Is Merlyn dead? Did you kill him?”

  
“Yes,” he nodded, scooping her up into his arms. “He can’t take anything else from you.”

  
“Good,” she blinked, trying to keep her eyes open, to take in his face one last time. His eyes that held so many emotions, so many secrets. His lips that had given her countless kisses, both sweet and bruising, but not nearly enough. “I love you,” she repeated again in a strained whisper as black started to cloud her vision and she felt the life drain out of her. “Goodbye Oliver.”

  
“Felicity? No! Felicity!” She heard him cry out as she went limp in his arms. He felt so far away even though he was cradling her close.

“It should have been me,” he whispered and her still feebly beating heart broke at the agony in his voice. She wanted to tell him that he was wrong, that it was better this way, that his family couldn’t lose him again; that the city was still going to need him to save it.

  
But the words wouldn’t come and the light started to fade, taking him with it.

 

 

 


	21. Epilogue

_Oliver opened the top drawer of her dresser and started packing the clothes into a box. Pulling out one of the shirts, he realized that it was one of his henleys that she must have stolen at some point after he left it on her floor. He didn’t remember seeing her wear it, he’s pretty sure he would have, but he could imagine how she would look with it hanging off of one of her shoulders and the bottom hem skimming her strong thighs._

_His mind flashed to the sight of her leg crushed underneath the rubble, her leather pants ripped and caked with blood, and he felt the wind get knocked out of him all over again. Shaking his head to clear the painful image, he tossed the shirt into the box with the rest of the clothes._

_Once he was finished with the dresser, he moved over to her bed and started removing the sheets and blankets. Even with her weeks of absence, her pillow still smelled faintly of the shampoo that she used and he inhaled the familiar, comforting scent._

_Moving on from her bed, he opened the fridge and, as the smells of rotting food hit him, he instantly regretted not getting to this task sooner._

_He just hadn’t been able to come here without her._

_She had somehow managed to make the foundry feel like a home and without her presence, it felt like a prison._

_If he opened the door he would hear the sounds of the club reverberating loudly around him, music, glasses clinking, and conversation among friends and strangers, yet he would still hear her words echoing deafeningly in his head._

“I love you.”

_The shock of what was happening,_ what he couldn’t believe was actually happening _, had paralyzed him from being able to repeat it back to her._

_While he held her in his arms all he could think about was how he had failed her. He was supposed to protect her, he had told himself that he would keep her safe when he had brought her into his world, and her life was slipping away because he had failed to do that._

_He had failed to stop the Undertaking. He had failed her. He had failed the city. He had failed his father._

_Failed._

_Failed._

_Failed._

_For four days after she had been taken out of his arms all he could do was sit in the dark in his empty, quiet house as his grief and guilt buried him._

_Diggle had been the one to finally come around and pull him out._

“You’ve got to go see her man.”

He shook his head, “I—I can’t.”

_Digg hadn’t budged though and that’s how he found himself sneaking through the halls of Starling General in the dead of night, taking advantage of a shift change, to pass by her room and glance through the small window in the door. She looked small and pale, even more so than when he had pulled her out of the body bag all those months ago, but the monitor next to her bed indicated a steady heartbeat. A woman was slumped over, asleep in a chair next to her, her hand reaching over to cover hers, and he thought that it was probably her mother, called in when her daughter showed up in the hospital. His eyes moved back over to her and he had been captivated by the shallow rise and fall of her chest until he heard footsteps approaching and had to leave._

_Seeing her with his own eyes, the confirmation that she was as alive as Digg had promised, had helped him to breathe a little easier, but it didn’t change the fact that he was still constantly haunted by having to watch her come so close to death. Haunted by the feeling of helplessness that had overcome him when he had to hand her off, unsure if there was even a chance that they could make her heart beat again._

_For someone who had lost so many people you would think he would be calloused at that point._

_He was glad he wasn’t._

_The feeling of his heart being ripped out of his chest made him feel human._

_She was being released from the hospital tomorrow, which was why he had needed to get to this task that he had avoided for so long of packing up her things so he could take them home._

_He hadn’t been able to talk to her, wasn’t even supposed to know her, wasn’t supposed to have a reason to visit, but she was going to need some place to go and he hoped that he wasn’t wrong in assuming that she would accept his invitation to stay at the mansion, at least until she was able to put her life back together.  It was near empty now. With his mother in prison, Walter gone after learning of his wife’s lies, and his sister staying with her boyfriend, he had too much space, and he would appreciate the company. Would appreciate **her** company._

_He didn’t want to spend another night where he couldn’t reach over to pull her closer and reassure himself that he hadn’t lost her._

“So how does it feel to be legally alive again?” Laurel asked as she held the courthouse door open for her to hobble out onto the front steps.

“It’ll feel a lot better when I’m off these crutches,” she quipped, taking her time to carefully descend each stair to the street where Laurel’s car was parked

In light of Moira’s testimony she was pardoned for her crime, and, in return for saving the life of his daughter, Detective Lance had been more than willing to turn in some favors with people at city hall to let the details of her mysterious “death” and disappearance be swept under the rug and chalked up to witness protection. It went mostly unquestioned with everyone more preoccupied with the aftermath of the Undertaking, and was the story that she was giving to anyone who asked.

Only Laurel, Tommy, Detective Lance, and a surgeon at Starling General knew the truth of her involvement with the vigilante and she intended to keep it that way.

Laurel had admitted that for a time she had hoped that the woman she had seen with the vigilante was her, that she was still alive, but that she had convinced herself that it was impossible. Seeing her on the night of the Undertaking had been quite the shock. 

On the way back to Laurel’s apartment, they stopped at a coffee shop and she found the crowd of the place a little unsettling at first as they stood in line to order. After months of being isolated from the world, it was taking some time getting used to being amongst the public again.

_Without grease paint over her eyes and in the cover of darkness._

They stepped up to place their orders and Felicity soon found herself waiting alone as Laurel had been pulled aside by a client who wanted to speak to her. Her drink was called out and she fumbled with her crutches to attempt to retrieve it from the counter.

“Need some help?” a familiar voice appeared over her shoulder and she turned gratefully to the source.

She thanked Oliver as he grabbed her coffee and walked her over to a table near the window where Laurel appeared a few moments later.

“Hey Felicity I’m sorry I--- Oh, Oliver, it’s good to see you!” she greeted him. “I see you’ve met Felicity.”

Oliver’s eyes slid over to meet hers briefly before looking back at Laurel as he replied, “I have.”

“You remember me talking about her, right? She just got legally resurrected today, so you two have something in common.”

Felicity bit her lip to keep from laughing at Laurel’s comment. _If only she knew what else they had in common._

They had come to the conclusion that they needed to keep their relationship under wraps for a while. It would be more than a little suspicious if Oliver Queen and a girl who had been supposedly dead for months were suddenly very in love. Waiting a little bit to be seen together in public and introduce themselves to their friends and family as a couple would make it seem more like they had met at a time that made sense. She and Oliver had agreed to hang up the hoods in light of everything that had transpired the night of the Undertaking, but if the dots were somehow connected and his identity was revealed, he would be in prison for sure and that wasn’t a role reversal she was interested in.

After promising to make plans for dinner with Laurel and Tommy sometime next week, Oliver dismissed himself and Laurel turned to her with a grin.

“He’s pretty handsome isn’t he?”

Making a relationship between her and Oliver seem convincing was going to be a lot easier than she thought if Laurel was intent on not-so-subtly playing matchmaker.

She shrugged, “Yeah, he is.”

Not to mention really hot with all of his clothes off… which she realized Laurel probably was aware of as well.

She saw no reason to dwell on that.

Her and Oliver both had pasts, but they also finally had the opportunity for a future, a chance to move on.

She had thought for so long that they were unthinkable.

That there was no other option for her than to leave or stay in hiding alone, forever.

Or die.

And yet somehow, things weren’t so unthinkable for them anymore.

“But what about you and the vigilante?” Laurel pressed, curiosity shining in her eyes.

“Shhhh…” Felicity looked around warily but no one was paying attention to them. “What do you mean?”

“Did you… I don’t know like what was your relationship with him like? You spent months alone with what most people believe to be a cold blooded killer but---“

“He’s not a cold blooded killer,” she interrupted her defensively.

“But you know that I’ve worked with him because I’ve seen that there’s more to him than what other people think,” Laurel continued. “So who is he? Not his identity, I understand why you want to protect that, but who’s the vigilante in your eyes?”

“He sacrificed a lot for the good of this city, kind of makes him a hero don’t you think? I know he’s my hero; he saved me from a prison cell and a very bleak future.”

“I agree. He helped me to get justice for a lot of people whose plights were being ignored by the law. If they knew of his involvement, I think he would be their hero too.” Laurel lifted her coffee cup to her lips. “So back to original question, what was your relationship with him like?”

“With the vigilante?” She paused to consider her answer. “Strictly professional. He trained me, provided for me. We were partners. His mission is over now and I’m not sure I’ll ever see him again.”

All true. The vigilante was just a persona. She loved the man under the hood.

“And you think you’ll be able to just move on with your life like these past few months never happened?”

She shook her head, “No. It will stay with me. I learned a lot, about myself and about the world, and I certainly have a lot of scars that will serve as visual reminders… I’m just not sure that I’ll be jumping off of buildings anytime in the near future. Or ever again.”

Although she might miss the adrenaline rush of swinging from buildings with Oliver a little bit.

Just a little bit.

“You are such a badass. Like you have no idea how impressed I am with you.”

She laughed, “It was like Crossfit on steroids. Gyms should really start offering vigilante style training because let me tell you, I was in killer shape before I got crushed by a building.”

Maybe she shouldn’t be making jokes about her near death, but she found that it made it easier for her to process everything that had happened and eased the guilty look in the eyes of those who blamed themselves for her being in that position. Namely Laurel, Oliver, and Tommy, who had practically filled her hospital room with flowers when he made the connection between her and the woman in black who had saved him from being the one potentially buried under rubble.

Her phone buzzed and the screen displayed a notification that it was a text from Oliver. Swiping it off the table quickly, she saw that he was asking her to let him know what time she wanted to be picked up from the hotel her mom was staying at and that she was also “staying at” for the time being as far as anyone knew.

Despite their rocky relationship over the years, she had been so glad to see her mother when she had woken up in the hospital and was glad that Laurel had contacted her. Her mom had been a little freaked out about the whole situation, or at least the details Felicity had been able to give her, which was understandable. Apparently Malcolm had surveillance on her for weeks in case Felicity showed up at home and she had started to take notice. Add that on top of the one voice mail that she had risked leaving for her, and she had reason to be rattled. At this point though, Donna was just relieved that her daughter was alive and they were no longer in danger.

She was also pretty thrilled that her daughter had a “secret boyfriend” that she snuck off with every night.

* * *

 

Oliver’s fingers traced over the scars that marked her body, his lips following and pressing gentle kisses along the marred skin.

“This never should have happened to you…” he whispered. “I should’ve---“

The first few nights after getting out of the hospital she had refused to take her clothes off. She didn’t want him to see what was underneath. Not because she thought he would be repulsed, but because she didn’t want to give him another reminder of that night and the guilt he felt.   

“Hey,” she interrupted him. “It was my choice to be the one to deactivate the device, my choice to go in after Laurel and I don’t regret it. I worried for so long that I was going to be twisted into an angry and vengeful person bent on revenge, but instead I was able to get the best revenge in being better than that. In making sure that I did whatever I could to make sure Malcolm’s plan failed in some small way, that there were lives he wasn’t successful in taking.”

“You’re a hero,” Oliver remarked, placing a reverent kiss on her forehead.

“So are you. Your father would be proud of you.”

He looked at her, disbelief in his eyes and she nodded in affirmation, “He would. And now you have a chance to continue to honor him by the way you run his company.”

Oliver groaned and rolled away from her, “Don’t remind me. Are you sure you don’t want to just go on a really long vacation that we possibly never come back from?”

With his mother in prison and Walter gone, the CEO position at Queen Consolidated had been vacant and Oliver had reluctantly, _very reluctantly_ , agreed to take it after his mother had pleaded with him to do so.

She sighed, “Oliver, you know your family needs you. You can’t just leave.”

“I don’t know how to run the company.” He ran a hand down his face. “Other than a very brief visit when I first got back, I haven’t set foot in there in almost a decade.”

“Well it’s a good thing you have a girlfriend who’s a former employee and certified genius,” she replied teasingly before turning serious. “Oliver you don’t have to do this alone. I would hope by now you’ve learned the value of relying on other people. Although I’m going to have to put my foot down on being a coffee fetching assis---“

He looked over at her, “So does that mean you’ll be my vice president? Or whatever second in command is called? I don’t have an MBA, I don’t know these things.”  

She startled a bit at his question. She knew that she wanted more out of life than the IT department but this…

“Well you can’t appoint me to that position tomorrow…”

That wouldn’t seem suspicious _at all._

“…Because people will definitely think that I got the job by sleeping with you…”

“Well technically you are---“

She cut Oliver off with a weak slap to the shoulder, “It’s a good thing I’m a cripple right now and that’s the worst way I can retaliate.”

Her leg was propped up on a huge stack of pillows, bound up in a cumbersome cast and she was more than ready to be freed from it. She supposed she should just be grateful though that her leg wasn’t damaged beyond repair and the doctors were confident that it would completely heal with time.

He shifted back to her side, “But seriously, I know that we have to slowly work you up the ranks so that things don’t seem suspicious, but would you accept that position?” A shy smile turned up the corners of his mouth. “I’ve gotten used to us being partners.”

She returned his smile, “Of course.”

She could do this. If she could jump out of buildings and take down men half her size and hack into ultra-encrypted files than she could co-run a fortune 500 company.

“Thank you.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before cupping her cheek, “I love you. You have no idea how afraid I was that I wasn’t going to be able to ever tell you that.”

She turned her head to press a kiss into his palm, “I love you too. And I’m not going anywhere, so you can tell me that you love me every day.”

Their story wasn’t supposed to be a love story.

It was supposed to be about two strangers-reluctantly-turned-friends with secrets who had to save their city.

But isn’t that how some of the best love stories start?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap! Sorry for scaring you guys with that last chapter but it was too good of an opportunity, I couldn't resist ;) Also thank you so much for all of your feedback over the course of this fic. I know I haven't always had time to reply to every comment but I have read all of them and I really appreciate your encouragement and excitement over the story. It was a huge challenge for me and very out of my comfort zone but I'm happy with how it turned out and I'm glad to know that so many of you enjoyed it. If you want a say in what I write next, you can head over to my twitter @queenofoldyork where I have a poll running right now :)


	22. Bonus Scene

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This bonus scene is a part of my Olicity fanfiction Christmas countdown on tumblr, be sure you're following me there if you don't want to miss any of the days :)

“Are you ready for this today?” Felicity asked, smoothing her hands across his back as he hovered above her, her fingers tracing over the scars she had had memorized.

Hesitation flickered across his face, “Maybe we could wait and do it another time…”

“Oliver. It’s been months, you need to visit her. How will she feel if none of her children come to wish her a Merry Christmas?”

He sighed, “You’ll go with me?”

“Of course, you don’t have to do this alone. Besides, I still haven’t gotten a chance to thank her. Without her testimony, I wouldn’t have been able to return to a normal life.” He raised an eyebrow at her and she continued, “Well, mostly normal, all things considering.”  

After a few months of quiet following the Undertaking, they had been pulled back into their night jobs at the realization that the problems in the city went far beyond the list. He had been reluctant at first, not to mention the fact that he was extra protective of her since her near death, she knew how much he struggled with the dark side of him that came out when he donned the hood. She had convinced him to try things a different way though. And so the trio of Oliver, Digg, and her had been back in the crime fighting business, minus the killing, for the past two months. She wasn’t out in the field very much at the moment because she was still rehabbing some of her injuries from getting crushed under a building, but her leg was finally building up strength again and she had been working extensively with her bow in the foundry to soon be ready to accompany Oliver and Digg again.

“Okay, well visitation hours start soon, so we should get ready to go,” he remarked, rolling off of her.

She climbed out of bed after him and followed him into the expansive bathroom. With Moira in Iron Heights and Thea mostly staying at her boyfriend’s house, they had the mansion to themselves and even after a few months of living there, she was still getting used to not being confined to her small apartment in the foundry.

They got ready quickly before Digg arrived to drive them to Iron Heights for Oliver’s first visit with his mother. In the car, she reached for his hand that was twitching in his nervous tick and held onto it comfortably. She certainly knew what it was like to learn that someone you trusted was involved in something so horrific, and she could only imagine how she would feel if Cooper were still alive for her to confront.

“So about Tommy and Laurel’s party tonight,” she began, hoping to distract him for a bit from what awaited them at the end of the ride. “Do you think that we could possibly attend together?”

So far they had been keeping things between them discrete since she had supposedly been in “witness protection” for months and it would be awfully suspicious if she was suddenly in a serious relationship with a man that she had never even met prior to her arrest. Laurel certainly could have connected the dots since she knew that she had been working with the vigilante, and Oliver wasn’t keen on her knowing that he was the man under the hood. Enough time had passed though and she thought that maybe now would be as good a time as ever to “start” dating.

“It’s realistic that we could be in a relationship by now, even if we had only met after you were legally resuscitated,” Oliver agreed. “Laurel has been trying to set us up and I do see you all the time at work.”

She squeezed his hand teasingly, “That’s because you come up with ridiculous reasons to need the head of the IT department almost every day.”

“The head of my IT department who’s basically also my clandestine VP,” he amended. “So of course I need you every day.”

She smiled, “We do make a good team. So tonight? We can go together?”

“I would love to be your date to Tommy and Laurel’s ugly sweater party.” He shook his head, “Although I still can’t believe _Tommy Merlyn_ is having an ugly sweater party.”

“Just wait until you see me in mine, it has a light up Menorah and everything. You’re going to be like, ‘ohh I can’t believe I get to take that babe home with me tonight,’” she remarked, eliciting a laugh from him and Digg in the front seat.

When they got to Iron Heights, Oliver hesitated for a moment before getting out of the car and coming around to open up her door.

“It’s just your mother,” she reminded him, taking his hand again as they walked towards the entrance.

“My mother who was complicit in killing hundreds of people, one of them who very nearly was you.”

“And believe me, I understand that that is a difficult pill to swallow. You know how much I struggled with coming to terms with what Cooper had done. But try to remember that in the end she did sacrifice her freedom to save a lot of lives. Plus, it’s the holidays, now is as good a time as ever to offer some forgiveness and start mending bridges with her.” She tilted her head towards the building and gave him a reassuring look.

He nodded, “Yeah. You’re right.”   

They entered the building and got their guest passes before being ushered to the room where they were going to meet Moira Queen. Suddenly, she was feeling very nervous herself. This wasn’t exactly normal circumstances to be meeting the mother of the guy you’re dating.

Walking into the small, gray room where Moira had been brought out to meet them, she watched as her face brightened at seeing her son and she knew she had been right in encouraging Oliver to come visit.

“Oliver,” Moira greeted him, her voice catching in her throat.

At that, Felicity watched Oliver step forward to sit across the table from his mom and she hung back to gave him her silent support but also the moment that he needed with his mom.

“Merry Christmas mom. I’m sorry I didn’t make it here sooner,” he apologized.

“Oh no sweetheart, let’s not start with apologies. There’s going to be enough of those with me apologizing to you for the rest of my life.”

“You don’t have to.”

Felicity’s eyes widened a bit in surprise at his words and he caught her gaze, giving her a small nod, before continuing, “You saved hundreds of lives.”

“And killed hundreds more,” Moira replied sadly.

“Malcolm killed those people mom, not you.”

She sighed, “Yes well, I don’t think a jury will see it that way, especially since my own daughter can’t. But enough about that, how are you? How are things at the company?”

Oliver waved her over and she came to sit next to him, feeling Moira’s scrutinizing gaze on her the whole time. Relief passed over her when she didn’t detect any disapproval there.

“Mom, you remember Felicity Smoak right? Your testimony helped drop her murder charges.”

“Of course,” she sighed. “I’m so sorry you had to be involved in Malcolm’s games in the first place.”

“It’s alright,” Felicity assured her sincerely. “You’re not at fault for Malcolm, or Cooper’s actions, and I’m very grateful for your help in clearing my name.”

Moira gave her a small smile, “It was the least I could do.”

They talked for a few more minutes about the company and their uphill battle to return it to good standing, as well as updating her on how Thea was doing before it was time for them to say their goodbyes.

Moira tugged her aside just as they were about to leave to whisper, “I see the way you look at my son, you love him very much.”

Felicity swallowed, “I do.”

“Good.” Moira sighed, “He’s been very isolated since returning home, I was afraid he was never going to let anyone get close enough to love him.”

She smiled, “Well it did take me some time to get through his walls, but it was worth it. You raised a good man, Moira.”

Moira returned her smile before she was escorted away by a guard and Felicity stepped out of the room to meet Oliver who was waiting in the hallway.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

She looped her arm through his, “Yeah. Aren’t you glad we came today?”

“I am.” He brushed a kiss across her forehead, “Thank you.”

* * *

 

Felicity swayed in front of the mirror to the Christmas music Oliver had playing in their room while she did her hair for Tommy and Laurel’s party. When her curls were to her satisfaction, she stepped out of the bathroom to where Oliver was waiting for her on the couch in their room.

He stood up and she couldn’t help that laugh that bubbled up in her chest at the sight of him in his delightfully tacky sweater.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized, trying to catch her breath. “You look so handsome.”

“I look ridiculous.”

“Mmm it’s great,” she teased, pressing a kiss to his frown.

Before she could pull away, he wrapped an arm around her waist and deepened the kiss. She knew if she didn’t put a stop to this, ugly sweaters would be on the floor and the party would be long forgotten so she shimmied out of his grasp.

“I still have to put my sweater on so we can go,” she pointed out, retreating into the closet.

When she came out and pressed the button on the sleeve that made the flames on the menorah light up, he grinned.

“Wow, I can’t believe I get to take such a babe home with me tonight,” he echoed her words from earlier and she laughed.

* * *

 

They knocked on the door of Laurel’s apartment and Tommy swung open the door in an equally hideous sweater to Oliver’s.

“Hey man,” he greeted him and gave him a hug. “I didn’t know you were bringing a plus one… oh Felicity, hey.”

“Hi Tommy,” she gave him a little wave and he pulled her in for a hug too.

“Nice sweaters,” he assessed them both with amusement as they walked into the foyer and Oliver grunted.

“I think this is the most clothing you’ve ever required for a party of yours Tommy,” he commented.

“Yes well Laurel thought it would be hilarious and she was definitely right. I think you should wear those striking shades of red and green more often Oliver, really brings out your eyes,” he teased.

Laurel peeked her head out of the kitchen, “Hey guys!”

“She’s not cooking, is she?” Oliver whispered to Tommy.

“Oh no, just plating what the caterer brought over earlier,” Tommy assured him.

Felicity headed towards the kitchen to hang out with Laurel a bit while the guys talked and as soon as she stepped in, Laurel cornered her.

“So… you and Oliver are here…”

“Uh… we were both invited,” she pointed out.

Laurel gave her a knowing smile, “Yeah but you came together.”

“Or we just showed up at the same time…”

She sighed dramatically, “Felicity, how many times do I have to tell you that you guys would be great for each other? I mean I know he’s not quite as exciting as,” she lowered her voice, “As exciting as the vigilante, and it’s only been a little over a year since your ex died but you’ve got to move on eventually and—“

“Hey babe?” Oliver appeared in the doorway and she glanced over her shoulder at him.

“Yeah?”

“I knew it!” Laurel declared triumphantly from behind her.

Oliver looked at her in confusion and Felicity shrugged, “I hadn’t told her yet.”

“Ohhh…”

“You two,” Laurel waved a hand between the two of them excitedly as she stepped out of the kitchen with a platter of food balanced on the other hand. “Are going to tell me all about how this happened later.”

“The very edited version,” Felicity muttered as she took Oliver’s hand and they walked out to the living room where other guests were starting to arrive.

* * *

 

By the time they made it back to the mansion it was very late, having stopped at the foundry for Oliver to run a patrol for a few hours, and Felicity was more than ready to collapse into bed. She was just curling up against Oliver’s chest when his phone rang.

“Ignore it,” she muttered, closing her eyes. “Wait no you should check and make sure it’s not like Digg or someone.”

She felt him rustle underneath her and he must have hit speaker on his phone because she heard the voice of one of the property staff on the other end say, “Mr. Queen, sir? There’s a woman trying to drive onto the property. She says her name is Donna Smoak?”

Felicity groaned. Her mother had been begging her to finally introduce her to her secret boyfriend for weeks now and she kept telling her it wasn’t a good time for a visit. It seemed like she had taken things into her own hands and decided to just show up for the holidays.  

“Let her through,” Oliver instructed before hanging up and sliding out from underneath her. “I’m going to get one of the guest rooms opened up.”

Felicity sighed and climbed out of the bed, “I guess that means I need to go let her in. I hope you know what you’ve gotten yourself into…”

It wasn’t that she didn’t love her mom. The events of last year had managed to smooth over some of the bumps in their relationship and she had been happy to have her around when she was in the hospital after the Undertaking. Once she had started to return to her life though, it had quickly gotten a little overwhelming to have her around all the time and she had been relieved when she returned to Vegas. Especially now that her and Oliver were back to their night jobs, it was going to be tricky to keep her in the dark if she was staying with them. Not to mention the fact that she had been hoping for a pretty quiet and low key holiday season this year since the previous December had been… extremely eventful to say the least. And Donna Smoak did not do quiet or low key anything, especially the holidays.

She sighed and slipped on her robe before slipping out into the hallway and heading for the stairs.

Down in the foyer she could hear the insistent tapping on the door as she made her way over to unlock it. Swinging it open, her mom burst through in a flurry of excitement.

“Oh baby girl I’ve missed you so much!” her mom exclaimed as she pulled her into a tight hug that rivaled a choke hold.

“Mom it’s almost 2 am,” she breathed out, untangling herself from her arms.

“I know, I know. But my flight was a weird late one and I was going to just get a hotel room for the night but then I remembered how much of a night owl you are so I figured you would still be awake and I was right,” she explained.

Felicity resisted an eye roll or a face palm or anything of the sort and just smiled weakly, “You were right.”

Now that she was done greeting her daughter, Donna’s eyes roamed over the foyer and she sighed wistfully, “This is your house.”

“Well it’s Oliver’s family’s house, but right now just Oliver and I are living in it since—“

Donna shrieked giddily, “I still can’t believe you’re dating Oliver Queen, how did that even happen?”

“A mutual friend set us up.”

Not exactly a lie. Laurel had been intent on setting them up for months without having realized she had already been successful by turning her plight over to the vigilante.

“We also work together,” she reminded her, placing a hand on her arm. “Which is why I asked you to not tell anyone, we’re keeping things pretty quiet for now.”

Their job at QC being the least of their problematic working relationships.

“Oh don’t worry, although it pains me, I haven’t told a single soul. Things got serious so fast though, I mean he asked you to move in with him already.”

_Well “fast” depends on what timeline you’re aware of…._

“It’s big house to live in alone.”

Felicity turned her head at the sound of Oliver’s voice entering the foyer. He walked over to them and shook her mom’s hand.

“It’s nice to finally meet you Ms. Smoak.”

“Likewise Oliver,” her mom replied. Not letting his hand go, her eyes narrowed slightly, “Her last boyfriend almost wrecked her life. If you even think about hurting her—“

“Mom,” she interrupted her, giving her a look that said _now was so not the time for this._ “How about you let Oliver show you to your guest room?”

Donna released his hand to give him her suitcase, “Lead the way.”

* * *

 

The next morning, which came far too quickly in her opinion, they were out the doors for QC before her mom had woken up, so she left a note explaining where they had gone and hoped she wouldn’t decide to pay a visit.   

Digg dropped her off at the front entrance before taking Oliver around back and she headed for the IT Department. People were relieved to see her when she had first returned to her job over the summer and no one had batted an eye when her promotion to department supervisor came a month and a half later. Oliver wanted her to have a higher up position in the company, but she knew that her promotions needed to make sense or people would talk. You didn’t just return from months in “witness protection” and suddenly have an office on the top floor. She was just happy to be doing something that she wasn’t extremely overqualified for and her night job offered its own challenges to keep her from getting bored.

The day passed by without any unexpected visits from her mother and she wasn’t entirely sure if that was a good thing or not. Oliver had called her up to his office once for “computer troubles,” that was really just a stack of reports from Applied Sciences that he needed her help deciphering.

_“Sorry again for my mom trying to go all mama bear on you last night,” she whispered as she skimmed over one of the pages._

_“It’s okay.” He shrugged, “To be fair, your last boyfriend did almost wreck your life. She just doesn’t want you to end up as collateral damage of someone’s mistakes again. It’s probably a reasonable fear considering the life I lead.”_

_She covered his hand with her own, “The life that we lead. The difference is that I chose this, I was completely blindsided by Cooper.”_

_“Mr. Queen?”_

_Oliver’s assistant poked her head into his office and she retracted her hand quickly._

_“Yes Amy?” Oliver inquired._

_“Uhh… there’s a representative here for you from UNIDAC, but I can tell them to come back later if you’re busy.”_

_“No need,” he assured her. “Ms. Smoak was just giving me some technical recommendations, but I think we’re good to go now.”_

_His assistant nodded and ducked out of the office._

_“I’ll look over these some more down in my office and we can discuss them at home later,” Felicity offered quietly, gathering up the reports._

_“Thank you.” He sighed, “I’m trying, but some of this stuff is just way out of my depth.”_

_“You’re doing great,” she assured him. “And I’m happy to help. Good luck with the UNIDAC rep, don’t sign away the entire company on accident or anything,” she teased._

Glancing at the clock, she saw that she only had five minutes left until she could leave for the day so she started to gather up her things. Her phone rang on the way out of her office and she picked it up to see that it was her mother.

“Are you almost home?” she asked.

“Hello to you too mom,” she muttered, hitting the down button on the elevator. “We’ll be home in a half an hour.”

“Oh good!” She could hear her mom clapping on the other end. “I have a surprise for you!”

“Can’t wait,” she replied nervously.

When they got back to the mansion, she pushed open the front door tentatively, “Mom?”

She heard voices chattering from down the hall and glanced at Oliver warily, “Just remember that you were the one who gave the go ahead for her to enter the property.”

He looked at her in amusement before steering her towards the direction of the noise. What they discovered was the living room looking like a holiday snow globe with Donna Smoak in the middle of it, glitter in her hair and an excited grin on her face.

“Surprise!” She gestured around excitedly, “I decorated! You wouldn’t have even thought that it was the holidays by the state of this house, and since you two are such busy working individuals I took it upon myself to rectify that.”

The two housekeepers who were obviously her accomplices offered up sheepish smiles.

“Uhh…” Felicity began, wide-eyed.

“It’s wonderful Ms. Smoak, thank you,” Oliver offered.  

“Oh honey please, it’s Donna,” her mom corrected him, waving her hand and accidently sending the scissors she was holding through the air.

Felicity’s hand shot out and grabbed them before they could make impact with the housekeeper who was frozen in terror.

“Wow. Nice reflexes honey,” Donna commented in surprise. “You were always so clumsy before.”

“Prison changes you,” she remarked faux-seriously, setting the scissors down and she heard Oliver choke on a laugh.

Donna tilted her head in confusion but then just shrugged and returned to the box she was pulling decorations out of, “I went out and got some things for Hanukkah so that both of you would be represented. And I talked to Raisa, who is a lovely woman by the way, and she said she’s going to make a special meal for us tonight, isn’t that nice of her? She says you two don’t let her cook anything fancy for you anymore.”

“Well we’re usually pretty busy, so full course dinners are a bit much.”

They kept Raisa on staff mostly because she was important to Oliver, but it wasn’t like they did any entertaining or even sat down in the dining room for dinner very often between their jobs at QC and Arrow work. She kept the fridge full for them though and was a kind presence in the house.

“But are you doing anything tonight?” Donna asked.

_Unfortunately, no._

Suddenly her phone buzzed and she slipped it out of her bag. Checking the notification, she tilted her body into Oliver and whispered, “Armed robbery in process at Starling National.”

“Should we just let the police handle this?”

She looked at him pointedly, “Nope.”

He nodded in understanding, “Okay.”

“We have a work emergency to go take care of mom,” she announced already heading for the door.

“Okay, well be back by 7:30 for dinner!”  

“We will,” Oliver promised over his shoulder, trailing behind her.

* * *

 

“Is there a particular reason you’re trying to avoid your mother,” Oliver asked over the comms as they raced over to the bank on their bikes. He hadn’t been keen on her joining him, but she had decided that seven months was more than enough time to have sat on the sidelines while she healed and there wasn’t time to argue over it.

She sighed and tried to figure out how to explain why her mother’s presence was unsettling her so much.

“I don’t know. I guess there’s just a part of me that still gets overwhelmed being around people all day after spending so many months in near isolation, and I mean you saw the living room, my mom can be the most overwhelming person of all.”

“I get that. When I first came back and everything from my old life hit me at once, it was a lot to process, especially with all the secrets I keep.”  

“And she’s in our home,” she continued, “One of the few places where it’s usually just you and me and it’s peaceful. Especially after last year, I was hoping for a very quiet and calm Hanukkah and Christmas.”

“Well, I’ll try not to almost die in an alley this year, and that should balance out your mom being here,” he quipped as they pulled into the rear of the bank, avoiding the police cars that were blaring their sirens out front.

“Looks like they’re still inside,” she commented, pointing out a white van with its doors open that was parked beside the building. Slipping her tablet out of her quiver, she cracked into the banks security feed.

“They’ve spray painted over most of the cameras,” she reported as they slipped in through the back door that had been blown open. “But they missed one of the hidden ones. From what I can see, I think they’re holding hostages. That must be why the police haven’t moved in.”

“How many people watching the hostages?” he asked.

“Mmm… just one. I’m assuming that’s my guy?”

“I don’t want—“ He sighed, “Fine. That’s your guy. I’ll head for the vaults, be careful.”

Nodding, she slipped her tablet back into her quiver and knocked an arrow before quietly making her way towards the lobby of the bank. From her hiding spot she could see the guy brandishing his gun at the terrified looking patrons and she knew she was going to have to make a clean shot or someone was going to get hurt.

Taking a deep breath, she raised her bow.

_You’ve done this a million times. It’s just been a while since the target was a person._

There was a crash from downstairs that she assumed was Oliver finding the rest of the crew and it drew her guy’s attention.

_Now or never Felicity._

Sending her arrow through the air, it landed in his right shoulder and she breathed a sigh of relief as his gun clattered to the floor and he growled in pain. She ran forward, kicking the gun away before he could reach for it again and taking opportunity of his moment of shock at her arrival to hit him across his abdomen with her bow. He crumpled to the ground and she turned on her voice changer to address the hostages, “Get to the front doors!”

She had full confidence in Oliver to take care of the rest of the crew, but just in case things spilled into the lobby she wanted the innocent people out of the way.

“They’ve overrode the locks to trap everyone in here,” one of them remarked while they got up from the ground.

“One moment,” She slipped her tablet out of her quiver. The sound of Oliver fighting was getting closer and she knew she needed to hurry. A few taps on the screen and the doors lit up, “Okay go!”

Once she had made sure that everyone was out and had restrained the crew member, she switched on her comms, “Oliver? We’re good in here.”

“I have the other two detained, so let’s get out of here and let the police clean up.”

* * *

 

“7:28,” she reported as they walked through the doors of the mansion after a quick stop back at the foundry to change. “Perfect timing.”

“And you seem like you’re in a better mood,” he pointed out.

She smiled at him and reached for his hand, “It was good to get back out there. Plus, now that I was able to take my frustration out on a bad guy, I’m trying to be more understanding of my mom. Last year, she didn’t really know if I was alive or not, so of course she wouldn’t want to miss spending the holidays with me this year.”  

They walked hand in hand into the dining room where Donna was waiting for them, “Everything sorted out?”

“Yes. Everything is great now.” She dropped Oliver’s hand to give her mom a hug, “I’m glad you’re here.”

When she pulled away, her mom tilted her head and reached up a hand to touch her cheek, “Honey what do you have on your face?”

She glanced back at Oliver and his eyes widened a bit. He mouthed, “Grease paint.”

Frack. She must not have wiped it all off in their rush to get to dinner in time.

Looking back at her mom she muttered, “Uhh, I must have just rubbed my eyes and messed up my make-up.”

“Oh that’s so annoying isn’t it? I’ve been using this new mascara though that’s great and doesn’t go anywhere, remind me to show it to you later…”

She sighed in relief as her mother babbled on about make-up while they sat down around the table to eat.  

No, this year certainly wasn’t going to be quiet, but maybe that wouldn’t be so bad. Looking across the table at Oliver and her mom talking, she was happy that the people she loved were safe and sound, which was the best gift she could get.  

**Author's Note:**

> Reviews literally make my day, I love to hear what you guys think! Also feel free to come chat with me over on tumblr mogirl97.tumblr.com or twitter @mogirl97 :) I'll be updating this story once a week, on Fridays. 
> 
> ~Morgan


End file.
